WATCH ABOVE: An Airdrie man is warning new homeowners to make sure they know their rights. It comes as he’s fighting to fix his home years after he bought it. As Gary Bobrovitz reports he missed a key call which could have saved him a lot of hassle.
An Airdrie homeowner is hoping other owners of newly-constructed houses will learn from his mistake, as he deals with an expensive repair bill.
Donald Klug took possession of his new house in Airdrie, built by Mattamy Homes, in January 2013.
The roof of his garage is leaking – one several construction deficiencies he says he is struggling with.
“It’s definitely leaking down the beam just over to the side where it came through the home,” Klug said.
He estimates it will cost at least $14,000 to fix the problem.
The home was covered by the Alberta New Home Warranty Program but Klug waited to file a repair claim after the warranty expired the following December.
Missing the 12-month deadline was a mistake, according to Airdrie’s Chief Building Inspector. “You have a responsibility to check it out as a homeowner, absolutely, and if you don’t it could come back to bite you,” said Pertti Harkonen.
A City of Airdrie inspection noted some of the problems, including the leaking water issue.
Mattamy Homes did make some repairs to the house and the company told Global News it’s still willing to work with Klug through the warranty program.
“We’ve never refused to fix anything that is our responsibility,” Brent Carey said. “What we really much would like to have happen is to be able to access Mr. Klug’s home with the participation of (Alberta New Home Warranty Program) through their process, and get everything fixed.”
The warranty program covers labour and material defects for one year, and structural defects for up to 10 years.
As of February 2014, all Alberta builders were required to join the warranty program in order to get a construction permit.
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