New Construction Warranty Deadlines: What to Track
The stack of manuals from your builder hides three or four separate expiration cliffs. Miss the fit-and-finish window and that drywall crack becomes your problem, not theirs.
The short answer
New construction homes carry layered warranties with hard deadlines: a builder fit-and-finish window (usually 1 year), systems coverage (often 2 years), and structural coverage (up to 10 years). Track each clock from your closing date, document every punch-list item with photos, and submit claims in writing before the window closes.
The crack you meant to report thirteen months ago
You noticed the hairline crack above the guest bedroom door around month three. You told yourself you would call the builder after the holidays. Then life happened, and now it is month thirteen, the crack has grown, and the answer from the warranty desk is a polite version of "not our problem anymore."
This is the single most common way new-build owners lose money they were owed. The fix was free. The builder would have sent a crew. But the one-year fit-and-finish window closed, and unclaimed items do not roll over. They evaporate.
Nobody hands you a countdown. You get a binder, a garage full of appliance manuals, and a closing so exhausting you file the paperwork and never open it again. The clock starts anyway.
Key takeaways
- New-build warranties are not one warranty. They are three or four overlapping clocks that start on your closing date.
- The fit-and-finish window (drywall, paint, trim, tile, cabinet alignment) is usually the shortest and the first to expire, often at 12 months.
- Punch-list items must be reported in writing before the window closes. Verbal mentions to a super do not count.
- Appliance warranties run on their own manufacturer clocks, separate from the builder entirely.
The overlapping clocks you are actually running
A home warranty tier is a defined coverage window that starts on your closing date and ends on a fixed calendar date, after which the builder is no longer obligated to repair items in that category. Understanding which item falls under which clock is what saves you money.
| Coverage tier | Typical window | What it covers | First to expire? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fit-and-finish / workmanship | 12 months | Drywall, paint, trim, tile, grout, cabinet and door alignment, minor cracks | Yes, usually |
| Systems / mechanical | 2 years | Plumbing, electrical, HVAC ductwork, wiring runs | Second |
| Appliances (manufacturer) | 1 year (varies) | Range, dishwasher, water heater, microwave, disposal | Runs separately |
| Structural / major defect | Up to 10 years | Load-bearing framing, foundation, roof structure | Last |
Notice the appliance row. Those clocks belong to LG, Whirlpool, or Rheem, not your builder, and they often start on the manufacture date or install date, not your closing. That water heater may have been sitting in the garage for two months before you moved in, quietly burning warranty.
The systems tier is where owners get surprised twice. An HVAC that short-cycles at month fourteen feels like a builder problem, and often it is, but only if you catch it before the two-year mechanical clock runs out.
Your new-construction warranty-tracking checklist
Do this in your first week, not your first year. The goal is a single record of every clock and every defect, with dates and photos, so nothing depends on your memory thirteen months from now.
Checklist
0/10Track this from closing day
How a home agent reads your closing docs and watches every clock
The reason this slips is not laziness. It is that the whole system depends on a busy human remembering an invisible deadline across a year of moving, unpacking, and living. That is exactly the kind of documented, deadline-driven busywork software should absorb so you keep the judgment and the walkthrough.
This is the pattern behind One Home Agent's document and warranty tracking: Danny, the document agent, ingests your closing packet and pulls out each warranty term and its start date. From there the system knows your 12-month, 24-month, and structural cliffs without you re-reading a single binder.
The agent does not replace your monthly walk-through or your judgment about whether a crack matters. It handles the memory: what is covered, when it expires, and what the builder requires to accept a claim. You still decide what to report.
- 01
Ingest the closing packet
The document agent reads your builder warranty, appliance registrations, and closing statement, then extracts each covered item and its coverage window.
- 02
Set every clock
It anchors each warranty tier to your closing date and each appliance to its install or manufacture date, so no window is guessed.
- 03
Watch and warn
Before each cliff, it pings you with the open items still eligible under that tier, giving you time to decide and submit.
- 04
Escalate to you
Anything requiring a decision (is this defect worth a claim, do I want a crew in the house) routes to you. The agent never files on your behalf without approval.
The claim it drafts before your window closes
The most useful moment is month 11, when the agent surfaces every open punch-list item still covered under the one-year window and drafts the claim in the format your builder requires: item, location, date first observed, photo, and the specific warranty clause it falls under.
You review it, edit anything you want, and send. That is the human gate that matters. The agent assembles the file so a real claim goes out on time; you decide what goes in it and hit send.
“The warranty fixes people lose are almost never denied. They are just never asked for. By the time someone opens the binder, the window is gone. The whole job is making sure a real person gets prompted with the right items while the clock is still running.”
Todd Paton, Partner, One Home Agent
Bottom line
New-build warranties are generous but unforgiving on timing. The fixes are free only if you ask before the cliff. Track your closing date, log every defect with photos, and submit in writing at month 10 and month 22. Let software carry the calendar so a $600 repair stays the builder's problem.
Don't let a free fix expire on a clock you forgot
Put your closing docs to work
One Home Agent reads your builder warranty and appliance registrations, tracks every expiration window, and prompts you before each one closes. See how it works for new-construction owners.
Talk to usFrequently asked questions
The fit-and-finish or workmanship warranty typically runs 12 months from your closing date. It covers cosmetic and finish items like drywall cracks, paint, grout, tile, trim, and door or cabinet alignment. This is usually the shortest and first tier to expire, so open items must be submitted in writing before month twelve.
Sources & further reading