Just a Random Enquiry

Today the phone rang, and the questions raised by the caller were worthy of a blog post. So here goes.

The caller had purchased a show home from a builder, gone through the normal process of inspecting the house with the builder on the possession date, and had been living there now for more than a year.

The caller had been in touch with the builder about getting some year-end warranty work done. He was surprised to learn from the builder that he had bought the show home “as is” and there was no year-end warranty.

I asked him what sorts of things needed attention. One was an electrical box left hanging loose out of one of the kitchen cabinets. That item alone is a building code issue, so it surpasses any warranty limits anyway.

My advice? Ignore the builder’s stated position. Make a careful list and submit it in writing to the builder, while also submitting a copy to the builders’ warranty provider. Then be patient, but re-submit the list to both parties every month.

Why? Well, what the builder probably won’t admit is that pretty much any complaint that comes to a warranty provider will be dealt with. It just takes time. In most cases, they open a file and contact the builder on behalf of the customer within a few weeks.

Most builders don’t want any open files with their providers, as these folks hold financial security against the builder, and open files mean higher premiums in the future.

So, when your builder says “no”, just ignore the answer and step it up to the next level — nicely, of course, but firmly.

Subscribers to our insider mailings will have access to a more detailed solution to these sorts of issues, but this is sufficient to deal with most builder problems.