{"id":908,"slug":"tarion-pre-delivery-inspection-pdi-form-mechanics","title":"Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) — mandatory pre-possession walkthrough; PDI Form is not a warranty claim but failure to note items makes proof harder","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","smb-owner","candid-team","client-prospect"],"topics":["gc-vertical","tarion-warranty"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** The PDI is the mandatory pre-possession walk-through with the builder. The buyer or an appointed designate (paid home inspectors are permitted) must attend. The **PDI Form** records anything damaged, missing, incomplete, not operating properly, or that cannot be assessed at the time. The buyer/designate signs it.\n\n**Legal effect of the PDI Form:**\n- The PDI Form is **not** a request for warranty service. Failing to note an item does not by itself void warranty rights.\n- However, if the problem concerns a **damaged or missing item**, it is much harder to prove it existed before move-in if it isn't on the PDI Form.\n- The 2019 Auditor General found Tarion had ruled against homeowners in roughly **2,700 cases (2014-2018)** because a defect wasn't noted at PDI — see [[tarion-2019-auditor-general-special-audit]].\n\n**Source:** <https://www.tarion.com/homeowners/predelivery-inspection>\n\n**Confidence:** Verified.\n\n**Practical buyer guidance (Candid-actionable for buyer-facing client content):**\n- Bring: phone (photos + video), flashlight, tape measure, APS with all schedules, the finishes/features schedule.\n- Bring someone — a designate or paid home inspector is allowed.\n- Tarion's rule of thumb: about **one hour per 1,000 sq ft**.\n- Test every faucet, appliance, window, door, light switch; the HVAC; the AC if seasonally appropriate.\n- For anything you can't physically assess (snow on the roof, scaffolding still up, fresh paint), **write that on the form** — don't just sign past it.\n- Note unauthorized substitutions against the APS.\n- Photograph everything with date stamps.\n\n**Companion:** Initial warranty claims after possession go via the 40-day Initial Submission (post-May 2024) — see [[tarion-claim-forms-may-2024-css-40-day-mid-year]]. The PDI Form is **not** that submission.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"tarion-claim-forms-may-2024-css-40-day-mid-year","title":"Tarion claim forms post-May 2024 CSS reform — 40-day Initial, new Mid-Year, Year-End (with permanent 10-day grace), Second-Year, MSD","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"tarion-2019-auditor-general-special-audit","title":"Tarion 2019 Auditor General Special Audit (Bonnie Lysyk) — 65% of conciliations found builder at fault, 9,700 dismissed for missed deadlines (1,300 by 1 day), OHBA \"disproportionate influence\"","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-tarion-ontario-may-2026","title":"Research brief: Tarion Warranty Corporation — definitive reference (May 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"tarion-1-2-7-warranty-detailed-coverage-by-year","title":"Tarion 1-2-7 warranty in full — year-by-year coverage from possession through year 7 (workmanship, building envelope, distribution systems, MSD)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"tarion-qfe-enrolment-confirmation-builder-obligations","title":"Tarion QFE + Enrolment Confirmation — builder must be HCRA-licensed first, then qualify and enrol each home before excavation/foundation","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-05-24T14:19:39.477Z","updated_at":"2026-05-24T14:19:39.477Z"}