New Home/PDI Inspections

What is a New Home/PDI Inspection?

Owners of newly built homes are automatically covered by a defect warranty provided to them by the Ontario government and funded by their purchase. Sadly, most owners of newly constructed homes are not aware of this. Furthermore, in order to take advantage of the warranty, defects must be reported before 1 year lapses from the date the new homeowner takes possession of the new build.

Under the Tarion Construction Performance Guidelines, there are 3 opportunities/milestones for a new homeowner to create a list of potential defects in the home during the first year after the date of possession:

• Pre-Delivery Inspection
• 30 Day Inspection
• 1 Year Inspection

After each list/form is completed and submitted, the builder is provided with a copy as is Tarion New Home Warranty. In addition to following the Ontario Building Code, all new homes must conform to the Construction Protocol Guidelines set.

When Should the New Home Inspections Take Place?

A Pre-Delivery Inspection, or PDI, is conducted by the builder and the prospective homeowner (or the homeowner’s designate), on or before the date of possession. The PDI provides an important opportunity for the prospective homeowner to observe and record any items in the home that are incomplete, missing, damaged or non-operational and to ensure that all upgrades purchased have been completed. The builder is required to provide an information package that includes information regarding Tarion, compile the list of deficiencies as noted by the buyer and/or their representative, and sign the list upon completion.

Thereafter there are two more opportunities for potential defects to be noted – and submitted at 30 Days and at 1 Year. It is best to do all three inspections as they expose defects that emerge since the last inspection as the home settles in the ground.

At either or both milestones a full home inspection can be completed to ensure that all installations or repair work completed after the PDI meet applicable standards, that the home is constructed in a workman-like manner and free from defects in materials and that all systems are fully functional. This is an excellent opportunity to make note of any susceptible workmanship. Upon completion of the 30 Day and 1 Year Inspections results are communicated to Tarion.

As an absolute minimum, the new home owner should conduct the 30-day inspection. This will initiate the defect submission and will ultimately result in action to correct the defects.

WHere Can I Learn More?

All three inspection checklists can be found on and downloaded from the Tarion website: https://www.tarion.com/

Tarion has a portal for uploading all forms called MyHome: https://myhome.tarion.com/hop/

Contact Us Today!

Contacting Foundation & Up Home Inspection is easy and can be done in a variety of ways. You may book an inspection quickly and easily online. Call us today at 613-720-1462. Email us at chris@foundationandup.ca, or use our Contact Us form on our website.