I was talking to Ryan yesterday about some minor changes to the ceiling of the 3rd floor due to joists being thicker than we had expected. During this call, he mentioned that someone at the city let him know that they are now requiring proof of new home warranty before accepting building permit applications. But, we're building ourselves, we don't need to get the new home warranty? Apparently we need a letter from the provincial government confirming that we are exempt. Ugh. The new home warranty is useless to us. We have to pay money ($14k, it turns out) to a 3rd party to ensure our house is built correctly. Having heard from people who had to make claims on houses built by someone else, it's really hard to actually make use of these warranties. I can just imagine calling them up and saying, "yeah, the contractor I hired screwed up and my house is falling apart?" I'm pretty sure they would simply laugh at me. So why would I give them Fourteen Thousand Dollars for that? Because the government says I have to.
I can apply for an exemption. The application fee is $750, payable to the provincial government. Hey, better than $14k. But, then I am not allowed to sell the house for 10 years. Um, what if I win the lottery and decide to move to Belize? Well, then I have to pay the $14k, plus whatever extra fees they demand for having not paid them in the first place. Or maybe it's less, since the "warranty" period is reduced. It should be less. But at that point, I will be legally required to give these people as much money as they demand. I'm sure they'll cut us a break, right?
So, I called all five of the companies granted the authority to take my fourteen thousand dollars. The first one simply said no. They only take money from builders. Fair enough, although it made me slightly nervous that anyone would take my money. Second company told me to fill in a form on their website and they'll send me info. He's the one who told me the price. $10k of that is a security deposit, potentially refunded at some point. But we'd have to pay it up front, before the house is even built. And I'm sure they keep the interest they earn on it over however many years they hold it for. The other 3 companies don't even answer their phones. I got voicemail, and 26 hours later, not a single one has called back. I am calling to ask them how I can give them Fourteen Thousand Dollars (or more?). And they can't be bothered to call me back. But surely they'll be all over it when they are required to pay for repairs to my house. Don't you think?
So now I wait. I have sent in a request to have access to the government website where I register my warranty, or apply for exemption. That will take up to a week. I have also filled in the form for the one company who has even acknowledged my request for information. I have no idea how long that will take.
So, will the engineers be finished their assessment of our plans before the government workers create a web account?
I can apply for an exemption. The application fee is $750, payable to the provincial government. Hey, better than $14k. But, then I am not allowed to sell the house for 10 years. Um, what if I win the lottery and decide to move to Belize? Well, then I have to pay the $14k, plus whatever extra fees they demand for having not paid them in the first place. Or maybe it's less, since the "warranty" period is reduced. It should be less. But at that point, I will be legally required to give these people as much money as they demand. I'm sure they'll cut us a break, right?
So, I called all five of the companies granted the authority to take my fourteen thousand dollars. The first one simply said no. They only take money from builders. Fair enough, although it made me slightly nervous that anyone would take my money. Second company told me to fill in a form on their website and they'll send me info. He's the one who told me the price. $10k of that is a security deposit, potentially refunded at some point. But we'd have to pay it up front, before the house is even built. And I'm sure they keep the interest they earn on it over however many years they hold it for. The other 3 companies don't even answer their phones. I got voicemail, and 26 hours later, not a single one has called back. I am calling to ask them how I can give them Fourteen Thousand Dollars (or more?). And they can't be bothered to call me back. But surely they'll be all over it when they are required to pay for repairs to my house. Don't you think?
So now I wait. I have sent in a request to have access to the government website where I register my warranty, or apply for exemption. That will take up to a week. I have also filled in the form for the one company who has even acknowledged my request for information. I have no idea how long that will take.
So, will the engineers be finished their assessment of our plans before the government workers create a web account?
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