If you need assistance with warranty claims after your home inspection, we're here to help.
Warranty claims can feel confusing, so this page explains exactly how warranty claims work, what is covered by your limited warranties, and how to get help if something goes wrong after your home inspection. Read the information below, then submit a claim form and our team will guide you through the warranty claims process step-by-step.
Contractor Opinions and Inspection Limitations
A common source of dissatisfaction with home inspectors comes from comments made by contractors. Contractors’ opinions often differ from ours. Don’t be surprised when they have a financial interest to provide you a more expensive service than needed for their financial gain (usually contractors trying to get work by saying the inspector should have caught something).
It’s important to remember that a home inspection has limitations. Inspectors cannot see inside walls or predict future issues. We assess what’s visible and accessible at the time of the inspection. We encourage you to get several quotes for repairs and, if needed, contact us for referrals so that any warranty claims you make are based on accurate, unbiased information.
How Your Limited Home Inspection Coverage Works
Vital Home Inspections secures protection for you through Residential Warranty Services (a 3rd-Party Company)
When you use Vital Home Inspections for your inspection, you are automatically eligible for a Limited 125 Day Home Warranty, 125 Day Mold Warranty, 125 Day Sewer Line Warranty, and Five-Year Roof Leak Warranty. These warranties are free to you to help protect you against surprises that show up when you take possession of your new home – issues that were not evident at the time of inspection and not included in your Inspection Report.
If a covered problem does appear, the information below explains how warranty claims are handled for each type of coverage.
The 125 Day Warranty – covers specific mechanical and structural items that fail after your full home inspection. The warranty is valid 125 days from the inspection or 22 days from closing, whichever comes later. To make a warranty claim, the home buyer gets a repair estimate from a licensed contractor that lists the cause of failure and breaks down parts and labor, then submits the claim online here.
125 Day Mold Warranty – covers new visible mold, not hidden mold. During your home inspection and in your home inspection report, if there were no visible mold or moisture issues reported, this agreement covers the remediation (removal) of visible mold on surfaces permanently installed in the subject property. To make a warranty claim, the home buyer gets a repair estimate from a licensed contractor that states the cause of failure with parts and labor broken down and submits the claim online here.
Sewer|Gard Warranty – covers sewer & water line leaks from the house to the municipal connection. Coverage extends to 12 months with a paid sewer camera inspection (if issues were not found). To make a warranty claim, the home buyer gets a repair estimate from a licensed contractor that has the cause of failure stated as well as parts and labor broken down and submits the claim online here.
Platinum Roof Protection Plan – covers roof leaks that arise following your full home inspection, if it was not leaking the day of inspection and if deficiencies were not noted in your Inspection Report. The Platinum Roof Protection Plan is valid for 5 years from the date of the full home inspection. To make a warranty claim, the home buyer gets a repair estimate from a licensed contractor that lists the cause of failure and parts and labor and submits the claim online here.
How We Process Your Request Step-by-Step
This checklist walks you through the warranty claims process so you know exactly what to expect.
- You have 125 days (4 months and 5 days) of limited warranty coverage, from the date of home inspection, to submit your claim—unless you purchased our 18 Month Warranty Offer.
- Submit your warranty claim by following this link.
- You must be able to provide a summary for all deficiencies. The documentation should also include photographs of all deficiencies.
- All necessary documentation should be received within 30 days of the submission of the claim.
- We have a policy of processing warranty claims only when we’ve received all necessary information from the client.
- Vital Home Inspections reserves the right to investigate all claims under this warranty, which may include a site visit to investigate the claim, collect data, and/or bring in other professionals.
- It is our company policy that all claims be handled using our Technical Support system. If you call the office, you will be instructed to go through the Technical Support form and start a dialog. No communication will occur until the online form is completed.
Items Excluded from Coverage
The Limited Warranties Do Not Cover the Following:
Reviewing these exclusions before submitting warranty claims helps avoid misunderstandings and denied claims.
- Commercial properties; multi-family dwellings (over 4 units), common areas and any dwelling unit systems or components located in common areas;
- Deficiencies related to items, systems and components that were excluded from the home inspection, noted in the inspection report, inspection disclaimers or the inspection agreement, including any system, component or condition that is outside of the State of Florida standards of practice.
- Any item, system or component that was not readily available or not accessible to be inspected by the inspector (for example, because the item, system or component needed to be operating in order to be inspected and it was shut down or otherwise inoperable at the time of the inspection, or because connecting piping, wiring and/or components were not readily accessible and visible at the time of the inspection);
- Any systems, areas, equipment or components of systems where the Inspector marked the area as having limited access or limited visibility of said system, equipment or component (example 1: tile roofs, second story roofs, high roof areas, wet roofs may receive a limited to no view at all of these areas and must be further evaluated by a licensed roofer for full disclosure) (example 2: internal areas of heaters, water heaters, gas thermocouple devices, gas leaks of any kind in any location, any and all supply valves, etc. are not viewed or tested during the inspection). Claims of deficiencies in these areas will be denied if there is no proof of further evaluation after the home inspection and prior to release of inspection contingencies.
- Any defects or deficiencies found behind finished wall/ceiling/floor materials that were not readily visible during the inspection. Shower pan leaks, internal wall/ceiling/floor/slab leaks are not covered. Wiring or wire connections concealed within walls, floors, ceilings or otherwise hidden by items such as insulation, etc. are not covered.
- Any system or component installed or method utilized to control or remove suspected hazardous substances; public or private waste disposal systems; stoppage of water regardless of the reason;
- Any consequential or incidental damages; water damage and drywall replacement is NOT covered in any way, shape or form. This includes any mold growth or the discovery of mold within walls, behind baseboards, etc.
- Any deficiency presented for coverage because it relates to a system or component that is not in compliance with codes, regulations, ordinances and/or manufacturer installation specifications. Simply and clearly stated: the inspector does not inspect items for building code compliance or verify installation to manufacturer specifications.
- Any claims that do not meet the deadlines for claims processing described above.
- Any additional services such as radon tests, mold tests, or any other service provided by the inspector in addition to the home inspection (or any fees for such services).
- Anything caused by natural acts or disasters such as (but not limited to): floods, excessive or abnormal rain/hail/tornados, excessive or abnormal wind, hurricanes, sinkholes, etc.
- Anything related to asbestos, lead-based paint, wood destroying organisms (including hidden mildew, mold growth, poria, etc.), pests/animals. Mold growth in ventilated spaces (i.e. attics and/or foundation crawl spaces) is not covered.
- Anything caused by recalled equipment or materials affected by any class action lawsuit.
- Any repairs performed without first making a claim.
- Systems or components noted in the inspection report as in need of service or nearing the end of expected service life.
- All other mechanical items more than 10 years old as they are past their expected service life.
- Maximum claim payout under the 125 Day Warranty is $500.
- Maximum claim payout under the Platinum Roof Protection Plan is $500 deductible per leak area that was not reported as deficient and a maximum of $3,000 coverage.
- For more information on the warranty policies visit our Warranty Page here.
Please fill out our online form for any questions or issues that may arise after your home inspection or with your warranty claims.
Please allow 3 – 5 business days for a response. While awaiting a response, please do not engage with a contractor to remedy the issue. Doing so may violate the terms of your limited warranty and could affect how your warranty claims are processed.