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August 3, 1983
"Home inspection firm offering warranty" By Linda Curtis Yes, Virginia, there is a home warranty available for re-sale homes in Calgary, although it’s not quite the same as that being offered in the U.S where it is a form of insurance. Home-Alyze Ltd., a five-year-old local company, has been offering structural warranties on used homes for the past three years. A 360-checkpoint inspection report by a qualified inspector from Home-Alyze costs $250. “We are one of the largest home inspection firms in Canada.” says owner, Peter Salmon. “To be eligible, a re-sale home must be occupied as a primary single-family residence and must be at least three years old. Any structural defects will usually show up within that time. The warranty does not cover non-structural failures, damage resulting from lack of maintenance or risks normally included in home insurance policies. “In the event of a structural failure from faulty construction within five years of our inspection, the warranty provides the lesser of full reconstruction cost or $100,000.” Full reconstruction, he points out includes the cost of rebuilding the structural assembly and any other parts of the building supported by or contained within the structural assembly. This includes heating, plumbing and electrical systems, floors, walls, attached fixtures, roof, exterior and windows where the damage occurred as a result of structural failure due to faulty construction. “I must emphasize that our warranty is not insurance. We warranty our service and that warranty goes with the house if it’s sold during the five year period. “Inspections are the biggest part of our business. The warranties are a small portion, but I expect this will eventually form the major part. “We are currently negotiating with a broker to set up a system whereby all homes listed for sale will have warranty. Otherwise a full disclosure document describing defects in the house will have to be given prospective purchasers. It will give buyers more confidence that they know exactly what they’re getting. “It will be the most credible warranty ever developed because every house must qualify. Other qualified inspection firms will be able to get it from us. It will be provided by real estate companies who will welcome it. People have a right to know. “Something like this is definitely going to come. It makes a lot of sense. It’s established in the U.S. and has been in use for years in England.” Salmon says that he does inspections for home builders too, and receives referrals and warranty business from them, for CAC and from HUDAC. In new homes mechanical contractors can damage the frame of the building and this sometimes gets by city inspectors and is picked up by his staff. In resale homes, owners who develop their own basements may sometimes alter support structures. However, in ,most cases, he says, it’s relatively easy to correct whatever defects are found. Salmon has been in the construction business for 18 years as both a construction superintendent and a builder and is convinced this is the only kind of person who can really grasp the whole picture during a home inspection. “We’ll bring in specialists when we feel their expertise is required, but this doesn’t happen very ofter.” Salmon points out that while his firm will give rough estimates on what it will cost to correct the defects his inspectors find in a home, it definitely does not place a dollar value on the house, as a whole. Neither does Home-Alyze recommend trades people. “If we did that, it would undermine our credibility,” he states. “We are an independent inspection firm. We’re not concerned with the sale fo the house or in whatever repairs are made. “A large part of our work is with legal profession after a lawsuit has been launched. We give the lawyers a profile of the construction problems in the home in question.”
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