Legal & Regulatory
What does your new home warranty actually cover?
Buying new construction comes with a mandatory statutory warranty — but what's covered changes completely depending on how many years you've owned the home. Ontario and British Columbia run genuinely different models.
Ontario's Tarion program is a 1-2-7 year model (workmanship, then systems/water penetration, then major structural defects). British Columbia's Homeowner Protection Act mandates a 2-5-10 year model (materials/labour, then building envelope, then structural). Same idea, different years and different dollar caps.
Inputs
What's covered
Choose a province and how long you've owned the home, then press Check coverage.
Full coverage timeline, both provinces
| Province | Tier | What's covered |
|---|
Sources, read 27 September 2026: Ontario's coverage tiers and dollar caps come from Tarion's own site, tarion.com/the-new-home-warranty and tarion.com/post-possession-coverage. British Columbia's come from BC Housing, bchousing.org/licensing-consumer-services/new-homes/home-warranty-insurance-new-homes, which administers the Homeowner Protection Act. Every other province and territory runs its own mandatory or voluntary new-home warranty program (Alberta's New Home Buyer Protection Act, Quebec's GCR, Saskatchewan's New Home Warranty Program, and others) — none of those were independently confirmed this session, so this tool deliberately covers only the two it verified rather than listing the rest as guesses.
Frequently asked questions
Why does coverage change depending on how long I've owned the home?
Both programs are designed so different KINDS of defects surface at different times — cosmetic and workmanship issues show up almost immediately, water penetration and system failures take a year or two, and structural problems can take years to become visible. Each tier's covered-item list is deliberately different, not just a countdown on the same list.
What's the actual dollar limit if I need to make a claim?
In Ontario, it depends on when your Agreement of Purchase and Sale was signed: $400,000 for a freehold home (APS on or after 1 July 2023), $300,000 for a condo unit, with separate common-element caps. In BC, it's the lesser of your purchase price or $200,000 for a detached home, or $100,000 for a strata unit.
Does the warranty transfer if I sell the home?
In BC, yes — coverage stays with the home, not the original owner, so a remaining warranty period transfers to whoever buys it next. Ontario's Tarion warranty likewise runs from the date of possession regardless of a later resale.
My province isn't listed — do I have a new home warranty at all?
Almost certainly yes in some form — most provinces mandate one. This tool only shows the two verified against a primary source this session; check with your own province's regulator or warranty provider for the exact coverage years and dollar limits that apply to you.
Not a claims decision — read your actual policy
This tool summarizes each program's published minimum coverage requirements. Exclusions, claim deadlines, and the exact process for filing a claim are not modelled here and can vary by builder, insurer and individual policy. Read your own warranty documents, or contact Tarion or your BC warranty provider directly, before relying on this for an actual claim.