Amid the hustle and bustle of moving into your brand-new home, it’s easy to lose sight of your warranty. But the reality is that, as you unpack boxes, arrange furniture, and hang up artwork, your builder provided coverage is already in effect.
And since timing is extremely important when it comes to making a claim, you don’t want to miss your first opportunity to submit whatever claim items you have so that they can get resolved as soon as possible and you can get back to enjoying your new home.
In this article, we’re going to break down what you need to know about submitting your first warranty claim using Tarion’s Initial Form.
What is the Initial Form?
The Initial Form is a warranty claim form that provides your first chance to report warranty items to Tarion. You can begin adding items to the Initial Form on the day after you warranty start date, and submit it at any time between 1 and 41 days after your warranty start date.
When you submit warranty items to Tarion, you add an extra layer of protection to your coverage: since Tarion backstops your builder’s warranty, you’ll be able to ask for our help in resolving your claim.
Completing your Initial Form through MyHome
The easiest and most convenient way to complete your Initial Form is by using MyHome, Tarion’s online portal for homeowners. Here are just a few of the benefits of using MyHome:
- Easy-to-use drop-down menus provide a clear and efficient way to describe and organize your warranty claim items.
- You don’t need to complete your form in one sitting, as MyHome lets you save it so that you can work on it later.
- With the built-in auto-submit feature, MyHome will ensure your Initial Form is submitted to Tarion before the deadline, thus saving you the stress of having to keep track of dates.
If you haven’t registered for MyHome yet, you can do so here.
What to include on your Initial Form
As you begin to fill out your Initial Form, you might be wondering what to include on it. Here are some ideas:
- Unresolved items from your pre-delivery inspection (PDI): If you found anything that was damaged, missing, or not working properly during your PDI and it has yet to be resolved by your builder, you must include it on a warranty form in order to get Tarion’s assistance.
- Unauthorized substitutions by your builder: Your warranty covers unauthorized substitutions for one year. If your builder altered one of your selections without your consent, or substituted an item specified in your purchase agreement with something of inferior quality, you must report it during the first year.
- Items you noticed since you moved in: Now that you are occupying your new home and using it daily, you may be discovering new defects here and there. Include these on your Initial Form so that they can be addressed.
While the Initial Form is not your only chance to report items to Tarion in the first year, it’s a good idea to ensure that your list is complete – the sooner you report warranty items, the sooner they can be resolved.
What happens after you submit?
After your Initial Form is submitted, you’ll get a confirmation letter from Tarion that outlines the next steps in the warranty process. A copy of this letter will be saved in the Correspondence section of your MyHome account. It’s important that you read this letter carefully, as it explains your responsibilities under the warranty, especially as it relates to asking for Tarion’s assistance.
You can also learn more about the warranty claims process on our website.
And if you have questions at any time, just contact us.