Making a 2-5-10 Warranty Claim: Notice, Deadlines, and Who to Tell

New home owners in BC know they have a warranty and often do not know when it expires. The shortest coverage period is a year, and a year moves quickly when you have just moved into a new home.

The three coverage periods

BC Housing's home warranty insurance page sets out the minimum coverage required under the Homeowner Protection Act.

Two years on labour and materials, with limits. Five years on the building envelope, including water penetration. Ten years on structure.

Our new home warranty guide covers the overview. What follows is the detail that matters when you actually need to use it.

The "2" is really three different windows

This is the part that surprises owners.

BC Housing breaks the labour and materials coverage into sub-periods. Twelve months for detached homes and non-common property in strata units. Fifteen months for common property in multi-unit strata buildings. Twenty-four months for major systems, meaning electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, plus exterior cladding, windows, doors, and defects that make the home unfit to live in.

So a finishing defect inside your strata unit may fall under a twelve-month window, while a plumbing problem falls under twenty-four months. Different items, different deadlines, same warranty.

Walk the home deliberately before the first anniversary. That is the single most useful thing an owner can do with this information.

What the five-year envelope coverage means in BC

The five-year period covers defects in the building envelope, including unintended water penetration that could cause damage.

In British Columbia this is the coverage period that matters most on newer buildings, for reasons our leaky condo and rainscreen guide explains. Water getting into a wall assembly is the defining BC building problem, and it often does not announce itself in year one.

If you own in a newer strata, this is a reason to read council minutes attentively during the first five years. Envelope concerns raised while coverage is live are in a different position from concerns raised afterwards.

The ten-year structural coverage

Ten years covers defects in load-bearing parts or the overall structure of the home, including defects that make the home unfit to live in.

This is the narrowest coverage in terms of what qualifies and the longest in duration. Structural claims are serious and involve professional assessment, which is why documentation matters from the first sign of a problem.

When the clock starts

BC Housing sets out different start dates by home type.

For custom detached homes, coverage starts at occupancy or the first occupancy permit, whichever comes first. For speculative detached homes and strata units, it starts at first occupancy or transfer of title, whichever comes first.

That second one matters for presale buyers. If you occupy before title transfers, the clock may already be running. Our interim occupancy guide covers that window and why it is not a mortgage payment.

Coverage follows the home, not the owner

BC Housing states that coverage stays with the home rather than the owner.

For a buyer of a newer resale, that is genuinely valuable and routinely overlooked. Ask during your subject period what coverage remains and get the warranty certificate. We have seen buyers inherit live envelope coverage without knowing it existed.

Add it to your strata documents request on a newer building, and ask whether any warranty claims have been made on the building already. That history is informative in both directions.

How to make a claim

Start with your warranty certificate, which names the provider. The provider and the procedure are specific to your policy rather than uniform.

Put the defect in writing, to the provider and generally to the builder as well, with photographs, dates, and a clear description of each item. Keep copies of everything you send and confirm receipt.

Written, dated notice is the thing that protects you. A verbal conversation with someone on site is not a record, and a record is what a claim rests on. Our deficiency walkthrough guide covers building that habit from the day you take possession.

Read your policy for the deadlines and the procedure. Not an article, including this one. BC Housing's page recommends reviewing your specific policy and getting legal advice if you are unsure about your rights or coverage, which is sound.

The warranty is not a substitute for an inspection

These do different jobs.

An inspection tells you the visible condition of the home now. Our home inspection guide covers the scope and its limits. The warranty is a claim route for defects within a coverage period, and using it requires following a procedure.

Buyers of new homes sometimes skip an inspection because of the warranty. In our experience that is backwards. An inspection during your first year identifies items while the shortest coverage window is still open, which is precisely when you want to find them.

We are agents rather than lawyers or building professionals, and none of this is legal or technical advice. BC Housing, your warranty provider, and your policy are the authoritative sources.

Key takeaways

• BC Housing's minimum coverage is 2 years on labour and materials, 5 years on the building envelope, and 10 years on structure.
• The 2-year period splits into 12 months, 15 months for strata common property, and 24 months for major systems, cladding, windows and doors.
• Coverage starts at first occupancy or transfer of title, whichever comes first, for speculative detached homes and strata units.
• Coverage stays with the home, so a newer resale may carry remaining coverage.
• Written, dated notice with photographs to the provider named on your certificate is what a claim rests on.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does BC's 2-5-10 warranty cover?

BC Housing states the minimum coverage under the Homeowner Protection Act is 2 years on labour and materials, 5 years on the building envelope including unintended water penetration that could cause damage, and 10 years on defects in load-bearing parts or the overall structure of the home. The 2-year labour and materials period is not a single window, since BC Housing splits it into 12, 15, and 24 month sub-periods depending on what is affected. Coverage starts at first occupancy or transfer of title, whichever comes first, and stays with the home rather than the owner.

What are the sub-periods inside the 2 years?

BC Housing lists 12 months for detached homes and non-common property in strata units, 15 months for common property in multi-unit strata buildings, and 24 months for major systems such as electrical, plumbing, heating, and ventilation and air conditioning, plus exterior cladding, windows, doors, and defects making the home unfit to live in. So a finishing defect inside a strata unit may fall under a 12-month window while a plumbing problem in the same unit falls under 24 months. Walking the home deliberately before the first anniversary is the single most useful step an owner can take with this information.

When does coverage start?

BC Housing states that for custom detached homes, 2-5-10 warranty coverage starts at occupancy or the first occupancy permit, whichever comes first, and for speculative detached homes and strata units it starts at first occupancy or transfer of title, whichever comes first. That second rule matters for presale buyers, since moving in during an interim occupancy period before title actually transfers can start the warranty clock running earlier than expected. Confirming the exact start date on a specific home is worth doing against the warranty certificate itself rather than assuming.

Does the warranty transfer if I buy a resale home?

Yes. BC Housing states that 2-5-10 warranty coverage stays with the home rather than the owner, so a buyer of a newer resale may inherit whatever coverage remains on the labour and materials, building envelope, or structural periods. That is genuinely valuable and routinely overlooked, so ask during the subject period what coverage remains and get a copy of the warranty certificate. It is also worth asking whether any warranty claims have already been made on the building, since that history is informative either way.

Who do I make a claim to?

Start with the warranty provider named on the warranty certificate, and notify the builder as well, since the provider and the exact claims procedure are specific to that certificate. Put every defect in writing with photographs, dates, and a clear description, keep copies of what was sent, and confirm receipt. Written, dated notice is what protects an owner making a claim, because a verbal conversation with someone on site leaves no record.

What does the 24-month coverage include?

BC Housing lists major systems under the 24-month portion of the labour and materials coverage, meaning electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, plus exterior cladding, windows, doors, and defects that make the home unfit to live in. This is the longest of the three sub-periods inside the 2-year window, sitting alongside a 12-month period for detached homes and non-common strata property and a 15-month period for common property in multi-unit strata buildings. Knowing which sub-period applies to a specific defect matters, since the deadlines are different.

What does the 5-year envelope coverage include?

The 5-year period under BC's 2-5-10 warranty covers defects in the building envelope, including unintended water penetration that could cause damage to the home. In British Columbia this is the coverage period that matters most on newer buildings, since water getting into a wall assembly is a defining BC building problem that often does not announce itself in the first year. Owners in a newer strata should read council minutes attentively during these five years, since envelope concerns raised while coverage is live are in a different position than concerns raised afterward.

What does the 10-year structural coverage include?

The 10-year period under BC's 2-5-10 warranty covers defects in load-bearing parts or the overall structure of the home, including defects that make the home unfit to live in. This is the narrowest coverage in terms of what actually qualifies as a claim and the longest in duration of the three periods, alongside the 2-year labour and materials coverage and the 5-year building envelope coverage. Structural claims are serious and typically involve a professional assessment, which is why documenting a problem from the first sign of it matters.

Does a home inspection replace the warranty?

No, and the two do different jobs. A home inspection tells a buyer the visible condition of a home at the time of the inspection, while the 2-5-10 warranty is a claim route for defects that show up within a coverage period, and using it requires following the specific policy's procedure with written, dated notice. Buyers of new homes sometimes skip an inspection because a warranty exists, which in our experience is backwards, since an inspection during the first year can catch items while the shortest 12-month coverage window is still open.

What is the most common reason a claim fails?

Late or undocumented notice is the most common reason a 2-5-10 warranty claim fails. Put every defect in writing to the provider named on the warranty certificate, and to the builder as well, with photographs, dates, and a clear description of each item, and keep copies of everything sent. The specific policy governs the actual deadlines and procedure, so read it before assuming a timeline applies, and get legal advice if there is any doubt about rights or coverage under a particular certificate.

Sources

• Home warranty insurance on new homes, BC Housing
• Homeowner Protection Act, BC Laws

Verified September 12, 2026. General information only, not legal advice. Your warranty policy governs coverage and deadlines. Consult BC Housing, your warranty provider, and a lawyer if unsure.

Related FRIVE guides

• New home warranty 2-5-10, the overview
• Deficiency walkthrough, documenting from day one
• Interim occupancy, when the clock can start early
• Leaky condos and rainscreen, why envelope coverage matters in BC
• Home inspection guide, what an inspection does instead

Next Steps: Work with FRIVE

If you are buying a newer Fraser Valley home, the warranty certificate belongs in your document request. Remaining coverage is worth real money.

Start a conversation with the FRIVE team and we will ask for it, or browse current Fraser Valley listings.