Tarion Warranty Corporation, the entity that ensures that buyers of new homes in Ontario receive the coverage they are entitled to under their builder’s warranty, has released an updated version of their Construction Performance Guidelines for Freehold Homes and Condo Units, effective June 6, 2024.

There are four changes from the 2019 edition:

• Several wording changes in the Introduction/Scope/Interpretation and Warranty Eligibility sections.
• Article 1.19 “Radon Exceeds Acceptable Levels” – This is a new article in the CPG to reflect the already-existing coverage for radon in the warranty since 2013.
• Article 6.14 – “Sewers , Drains or Fixtures Blocked” – This is a revision to the existing article to clarify coverage and to explain the warranty and process, since this is often an emergency repair.
• Article 5.6 “Ice Buildup on the Roof” – This is a revision to the existing article to clarify the reasons that ice may be built up on the roof, and what the coverage is. Note that this does not address leakage – only the ice buildup. The article clarifies that there is coverage only if the buildup is caused by an Ontario Building Code violation. Also included is a new Appendix 7, which can be used to evaluate whether or not there is an OBC deficiency that has led to ice buildup.

The 2024 Tarion CPG can be viewed and downloaded from the following link:

https://www.tarion.com/sites/default/files/Construction%20Performance%20Guidelines%20-%20Freehold_Condo%20-%202024.pdf