Before hiring someone to do work on your home, you should know what warranty they will provide on materials and workmanship. For this warranty to be enforceable, it must be in writing and should form part of your contract. Verbal assurances from a contractor that they will "come back and fix anything that goes wrong" will be very difficult to enforce after the job is finished.

Depending on the type of work you are contracting for, there are a number of types of warranty that may be important to you.

Your contractor should provide you with a contractor's warranty on work for the quality of the installation or construction work done. It should be clearly stated what is covered and for how long.

Building product retailers and other companies that provide contract installation services normally provide a warranty on products and installation for a specified period.

A manufacturer's warranty covering the products or materials used by the contractor should also be provided. Most manufacturers warrant their products to be free from defects for a specified length of time (provided they are installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions). Other products, such as flooring, are warranted against excessive wear for a specified number of years. If the contractor buys materials on your behalf, you should be given the relevant warranty information or documents. If you buy these products or materials yourself, get the information from your supplier. Be aware that if you buy materials and products directly, you will have to deal with warranty issues yourself, rather than through you contractor.

If you are hiring a builder to construct a new home, new home warranties are available in all provinces and your builder should offer you this important third-party coverage. In B.C., Ontario and Quebec, new home warranty coverage is mandatory, and your builder must provide it. New home warranty coverage protects you in the event that the builder is unable or unwilling to complete the project or provide required after-sales service. New home warranties are limited, so make sure you understand the coverage you are getting.

In the Province of Quebec, there is also a third-party renovation warranty available through approved renovation contractors. For information on this program, click HERE.