Homebuyer management - up to a ten year relationship

Why up to ten years?  Many state laws allow buyers of newly constructed homes to make defect claims based on implied warranties and other performance requirements that can extend ten years or more after closing. The builder may be better protected from claims if they require the home buyers to waive their implied warranties in the purchase and sale agreement but according to experts this protection is not bullet-proof. 

Industry data indicates that ninety percent of claims resulting in lawsuits against builders could have been prevented if simple maintenance had been performed by the homeowner.  Many builders offer some kind of limited "fit and finish" warranty for one year or more.  These warranties include homeowner maintenance requirements as a condition for this warranty. 

To emphasize the long term importance of home maintenance homebuilders may provide a more detailed maintenance guide to increase emphasis on the home owner's long term maintenance responsibilities.  The document should be clearly written and easy for homeowners to understand and implement for up to ten years. 

In addition to or in lieu of a printed maintenance manual, the builder may offer a subscriptions to 3rd party online services that enable homeowner access to home and product maintenance documents and activity logs.  These services could include CD-ROM's, e-mail newsletters and scheduled alert services that allow homeowners to access information from any personal computer or mobile devise.

The beauty of services like these is they can help you enroll homeowners and track communications for many years.  In some states the implied warranties for the initial home buyer can extend to secondary home buyers.  This makes it important that builders develop ongoing programs that are flexible enough to enroll secondary home buyers into your communications regarding home maintenance.

State Laws very significantly so it is important to consult with your attorney regarding the specific warranty requirements of your state.

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