Tarion warranty exclusions (ONHWPA s.13(2)) — homeowner alterations, normal wear, dampness/condensation, secondary damage, acts of God

Claim: Per ONHWPA s. 13(2) and Tarion's "What is not covered" page, the warranty does not cover:

• Defects in materials, design and work supplied by the homeowner.
• Secondary damage caused by defects under warranty (e.g., personal-property damage, personal injury).
• Normal wear and tear; normal shrinkage of materials caused by drying.
• Damage from dampness or condensation due to homeowner failure to ventilate.
• Damage from improper maintenance.
• Alterations, deletions or additions made by the homeowner.
• Subsidence of land around the building (other than beneath the footings).
• Damage resulting from an act of God (extraordinary natural events only).
• Damage caused by insects/rodents (unless building violates the OBC).
• Damage caused by municipal services or other utilities.
• Surface defects specified and accepted in writing by the owner.
• Elevators, HVAC appliances and certain other appliances (explicitly excluded from common-elements coverage).

Source: ONHWPA s. 13(2); Tarion "What is not covered" page.

Confidence: Verified.

The three exclusions buyers find most surprising:

1. Secondary damage — water damage to furniture from a warranted plumbing leak is not covered.
2. Dampness/condensation tied to inadequate ventilation by the homeowner.
3. Homeowner alterations that void the warranty on the modified item.

For buyer-facing client content: Setting expectations honestly here builds trust. Buyers who learn about secondary-damage exclusion from the builder won't feel ambushed if a claim later runs into it.