Seattle New Construction Warranties

Buying a newly built home? Unless you’re buying a new construction condo, it doesn’t necessarily come with a warranty! So be sure to understand what, if any, warranty is provided with your newly built home. And by understand, we mean, ask for the paperwork on the warranty and read it. Even better would be to find someone who has bought from the same builder and hear how their experience was.

Implied Warranties

Condominiums: thanks to RCW 64.34.445, passed in 1990, you have a four year warranty. That basically says your condo is:

Free from defective materials; Constructed in accordance with sound engineering and construction standards; Constructed in a workmanlike manner; and Constructed in compliance with all laws then applicable to such improvements.

Townhomes & single family homes: your only coverage is the implied warranty of habitability which only covers fundamental defects in the structure of a home. A fundamental defect is one that would render the home unfit for its intended purpose. However, many builders will provide a warranty above and beyond this. But some do not!

Builder provided warranties

Curious about what builders offered we surveyed what the top builders offer.

BDR: 6 years
Blue Fern: 1 year workmanship, 2 year systems defect warranty, 10 year structural
Build Urban: 1 year workmanship, 2 year systems defect warranty, 10 year structural
Cascade Built: 1 year
Coombes: 1 year, 6 year structural
DEP: 1 year
Dwell: Didn’t reply
Excel Group: Didn’t reply
gProjects: 6 year
Granger: 1 year, 6 year structural
GreenBuild: 1 year
Green Canopy: 1 year workmanship defect warranty, 10 year structural
Hardy: 1 year
Isola: 1 year
LimeLite: None?
Kohary: Yes, unknown length
MRN: Didn’t reply
Noren: 1 year
Okom: 1 year
Playhouse: 1 year
Sage: 1 year, 6 year structural