Air conditioning was once considered a nice-to-have, but it’s now become an essential part of our homes. There’s no denying the fact that summers are hotter than they used to be. When the mercury rises to dangerously high levels, we rely on our home’s cooling system to keep us comfortable and safe.
But what happens if the first summer in your new home rolls in and the air conditioner you bought from your builder has yet to be installed or isn’t working? There’s no need to sweat it, because your warranty can provide much needed relief.
Warranty exceptions for air conditioning
Under your new home warranty, a complete loss of cooling in your builder-supplied air conditioner or an air conditioner that has not been installed is treated as an exceptional situation between May 15 and September 15. This means that between these dates you do not need to follow the regular warranty claims process to get the issue resolved. You can report your air conditioning problem separately and have it resolved sooner.
As always with warranty matters, the first thing you should do is get in touch with your builder. Find out when your air conditioner will be installed or when a technician can come and assess the issues with your current system. After contacting your builder, report the situation to Tarion using the Air Conditioning Form, which you can now complete and submit through our MyHome homeowner portal.
Your builder is expected to resolve your air conditioning problem within 30 days. If 30 days pass and the problem continues, you can contact Tarion for help.
What about other issues related to air conditioning?
The warranty exception described above applies only to situations where you either experience a total lack of cooling or your air conditioner has not been installed.
If you experience other problems related to your builder-supplied air conditioner, such as surface damage or noise, report them on an appropriate warranty form during the first year of possession and they will be dealt with according to the regular warranty claims process.
What if I own a condominium unit?
If your new home is a condo, you’ll first need to determine whether your air conditioning system belongs to your individual unit or forms part of your condominium project’s common elements. One way to do this is to refer to your project’s declaration document.
If your air conditioning is considered a common element, there’s a different process you need to follow to get the issue resolved. Instead of reporting the problem to the builder and Tarion yourself, you’ll need to bring it to the attention of your condo corporation’s board of directors. In general, the condo corporation’s board of directors is responsible for fixing issues and managing warranty claims related to common elements.
Learn about other “warranty exceptions”
A complete lack of cooling from your builder-supplied air conditioner is just one of the situations in which the regular warranty claims process does not apply. To find out about other “warranty exceptions,” visit our website.