Warranty Inspection Service: What It Covers And When To Book
A warranty inspection service is a professional inspection of your newly built home, done before the builder’s warranty runs out, to find and document defects the builder may owe you a repair for. Most new-home warranties start to expire after about one year, so the best window is usually the ninth to eleventh month after closing. That leaves time to write up every item, send it to the builder, and still be inside the coverage period when the repairs are requested.
This guide explains what the inspection checks, how it differs from the inspection you had before closing, how warranty deadlines work (including what Alabama does and does not require), and how to report problems so they get handled. We wrote it for homeowners in Baldwin, Mobile, and the surrounding Gulf Coast communities, where new construction keeps expanding and first-year warranty questions come up constantly.
What A Warranty Inspection Service Actually Does
A warranty inspection is a top-to-bottom review of a home that is close to the end of its first year. The inspector looks for workmanship and material problems that were not visible at closing or that have shown up since you moved in: settling cracks, failing caulk, grading that sends water toward the foundation, doors that stick, plumbing that drips under a cabinet, or an air handler that is not performing the way it should.
The product of the inspection is a written report with photos, organized so you can hand it to your builder or warranty representative. That is the point. A homeowner who says “something feels off in the attic” gets a conversation. A homeowner who sends a dated report with photos and locations gets a repair list.
You will hear this service called an 11-month warranty inspection, a one-year warranty inspection, or a pre-warranty-expiration inspection. They are the same idea. The “11-month” name comes from the common practice of scheduling it in the eleventh month of a one-year warranty, though as we explain below, a little earlier is often smarter.
We offer this as our 11-month warranty inspection for new construction homes across Coastal Alabama.
How It Differs From A Pre-Purchase Or New Construction Inspection
These inspections are easy to confuse, so here is the plain breakdown.
Inspection | When it happens | Main purpose |
Pre-drywall inspection | During construction, before walls are closed | See framing, wiring, plumbing, and insulation while they are still visible |
New construction / final inspection | Before closing | Catch defects and unfinished work so the builder fixes them before you take ownership |
Warranty inspection | Around month 9 to 11 after closing | Document defects that appeared or became visible during the first year, while the warranty still applies |
The inspection before closing protects you at the moment you buy. The warranty inspection protects you at the moment your leverage is about to shrink. Houses move after they are built: lumber dries, soil settles, and mechanical systems get their first full year of seasonal use, including a long Gulf Coast summer and a humid winter. Some problems simply do not exist on closing day.
If you skipped the earlier steps, a warranty inspection is still worthwhile. If you did them, it is the natural third step. Our new construction home inspection page covers the earlier stages, and our Alabama home warranty timeline shows how the stages fit together.
A Builder Warranty Is Not A Home Warranty Plan
The Federal Trade Commission points out that a builder warranty accompanies new construction or a remodel and generally covers permanent components of the home, such as concrete floors, plumbing, and electrical work. That is separate from a home warranty you might buy as a service contract for appliances and systems. When we talk about a warranty inspection, we mean the first kind: the builder’s promise about the house they built.
The Builder Warranty Inspection Deadline
The deadline is whatever your written warranty says, and that is the first document to find. Do not rely on a rule of thumb until you have read your own paperwork.
That said, the FTC describes a common pattern. Coverage on workmanship and materials for many components commonly expires after one year, coverage for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical is generally two years, and some builders offer up to 10 years for major structural defects. Those are general patterns, not guarantees, and every builder’s terms differ.
What Alabama Requires
Alabama does not set the warranty for you. The state’s Home Builders Licensure Board says its licensure law does not require builders to provide a written home warranty, though many licensed builders do. It also notes that homeowners with questions about a written warranty may consult an attorney.
The practical meaning: your rights and your deadline live in the contract and warranty document your builder gave you, not in a statewide standard. If you cannot find the warranty, ask your builder for a copy in writing before you plan anything else.
Where To Find Your Dates
Start counting from the date your warranty says it begins. For many homes that is the closing date, but some warranties start at a certificate of occupancy or a delivery date. Look for these items:
The warranty start date and the end date for each category of coverage
How and where to submit a claim, and whether it must be in writing
Whether there is a notice period or a required form
Which items are excluded
Whether the builder uses a third-party warranty company, and who handles claims
Write each date on a calendar and set a reminder for at least 90 days before the earliest one. If your warranty has multiple expiration dates, the earliest one drives your schedule.
When To Schedule Your Warranty Inspection
Book early enough that the inspection, the report, and the builder’s response all fit before expiration. Our general recommendation is to schedule in the ninth or tenth month if your warranty is one year, and to treat the eleventh month as the latest comfortable point rather than the target.
Here is why a little earlier tends to work better:
Builders have repair queues. Trades such as drywall, roofing, and HVAC are often booked weeks out. A claim filed with six weeks left may be scheduled after expiration unless you can show the date it was reported.
You may need a second look. A moisture finding or a suspected HVAC issue may call for a specialist. That takes extra days.
Reports need time to land. Your builder or warranty representative needs a chance to review the report and respond.
Seasons matter. A house that has been through summer heat and heavy rain has revealed more than a house that has only seen one season. If your anniversary falls in spring, you can also catch a winter’s worth of performance.
Our own write-up on what to check before the 11-month warranty expires goes deeper on the timing question, and our 11-month builder warranty checklist gives you a walk-through list you can use before the inspector arrives.
If Your Warranty Is Already Close To Ending
If you are reading this with only a few weeks left, do not wait for a perfect plan. Call and ask for the earliest available slot, and in the meantime send your builder a written note listing any problems you already know about. Written notice with a date on it is useful even before the full report is ready.
What’s Included In A Warranty Inspection
The scope varies by inspector, so ask what you will actually receive. Here is what is included when you book our warranty inspection:
Exterior and grounds: siding, trim, caulking, grading and drainage around the foundation, driveways, walkways, and decks
Roof and attic: roof coverings, flashing, penetrations, ventilation, and insulation. We use drones for roof views when access is unsafe or limited.
Structure: visible foundation and framing conditions, and cracking in walls, ceilings, and masonry
Plumbing: supply and drain lines, fixtures, water heater, and signs of leaks under sinks and around toilets and tubs
Electrical: panel, breakers, outlets, GFCI and AFCI protection, and visible wiring conditions
Heating and cooling: operation of the HVAC system, condensate drainage, filters, and ductwork that is visible
Interior: doors, windows, cabinets, flooring, tile, paint, and drywall finishes
Thermal imaging, at no extra cost: to help identify insulation gaps, potential moisture issues, and overheated electrical components
Moisture meter checks: to verify suspected leaks and damp areas
Gas and CO checks: a combustible gas leak detector and a carbon monoxide detector to help identify unsafe conditions
A photo and video report: organized by location so it is easy to forward to your builder
Our inspectors are InterNACHI-certified, and our reports are designed to be delivered the same day as the inspection. Add-ons such as sewer scope, mold testing, and air quality testing are available if the findings call for them.
What Builder Warranties Typically Cover, And What They Usually Exclude
A warranty inspection is most useful when you know what to look for in terms of coverage. According to the FTC, builder warranties for new homes generally offer limited coverage on workmanship and materials for specific components such as windows, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems. Some also cover major structural defects for a longer period, with structural defect often defined as a problem that makes the home unsafe.
That means most warranty claims fall into a handful of categories:
Workmanship issues: gaps in trim, poorly sealed windows, loose tile, paint defects, doors that do not latch
Material failures: defective fixtures, cracked tubs, faulty components
System performance: an HVAC unit that does not cool properly, plumbing that leaks, outlets that do not work
Water intrusion signs: stains, soft spots, or elevated moisture readings
Exclusions are typically found in the fine print. Normal wear, damage from lack of maintenance, landscaping and drainage changes made by the homeowner, and items covered by a manufacturer’s own warranty are the sorts of things many warranties treat differently. Read yours closely, and when in doubt, include the item in your written request and let the builder decide.
The inspector’s job is not to decide what your warranty covers. That is for you and your builder, or the warranty company. Our job is to find conditions and document them clearly so nothing is missed.
Cracks: Cosmetic Or Worth A Closer Look?
Cracks are among the most common reasons homeowners book a warranty inspection, and they are also the item people worry about most. Some perspective helps. The National Association of Home Builders notes that most cracks are cosmetic rather than structural, that there is no universal standard for evaluating them, and that suspected structural cracking may warrant a review by the warranty company and a qualified engineer.
In practice, a few details help sort things out: where the crack is, how wide it is, whether it has changed over time, and whether doors and windows near it have started to bind. Hairline cracks at drywall seams and above door frames are often a normal part of a house drying out and settling. Wider cracks, stair-step cracking in masonry, or cracks that keep growing deserve a written report and a professional evaluation. A useful general read on signs of brickwork deterioration explains what to look at when masonry starts to show wear.
We go further into this in our article on whether cracks in walls are cosmetic or structural. The takeaway is simple: photograph cracks with a ruler or coin for scale, note the date, and include them in your request. If the builder or an engineer later decides they are cosmetic, you lost nothing. If they are not, you reported them in time.
Common Gulf Coast Findings In First-Year Homes
Coastal Alabama has its own pattern of first-year issues. Humidity, heavy rain, sandy soils, and strong sun put stress on a home in ways that inland builds do not always see. Based on the conditions we look for in Baldwin and Mobile counties, these are worth checking on your own and raising with your inspector:
Drainage and grading: water that pools near the slab or runs back toward the house after a storm
Attic ventilation and insulation: gaps or compressed insulation that thermal imaging can reveal
HVAC condensation: clogged or poorly sloped drain lines, and ducts that sweat in humid attics
Window and door seals: gaps that let humid air or water in
Caulking and exterior trim: shrinkage and separation after a hot summer
Roof flashing and penetrations: the most common places for slow leaks to begin
Garage and exterior doors: weather seals and alignment that shifted as the house settled
If you want a closer look at the kinds of issues we see on newer homes, our pages on new construction defects in Foley, Daphne, and Fairhope and new home problems builders do not always mention go through them in detail.
How To Document And Report Defects To Your Builder
The FTC’s advice for a potentially covered defect is straightforward: check the warranty’s coverage and deadlines, follow its claim instructions, and put the repair request in writing. Even when a builder has a hotline for urgent requests, keep a record of correspondence and conversations.
Here is a process that works for most homeowners:
Gather your documents. Warranty booklet, contract, closing paperwork, and any previous inspection reports.
Walk the house and note issues. Use your phone to take photos and short videos. Include wide shots and close-ups.
Book the inspection. Ask for the report to be organized by room or system so you can reference items quickly.
Prepare your request. List each item with its location, a short description, and the photo reference from the report. Keep the tone factual.
Send it the way the warranty says. If it names a portal, use the portal. If it asks for certified mail or email, do that. Then keep a copy.
Confirm receipt. A short follow-up email asking the builder to confirm they received the list creates a clean paper trail.
Track the response. Note dates of calls, visits, and promised repairs. Take photos after each repair.
Follow up in writing if repairs are delayed and the warranty date is close.
If A Claim Is Disputed Or Not Resolved
Stay calm and keep communicating in writing. Ask the builder to state in writing why an item is denied or delayed, and compare that to the warranty language. If the warranty uses a third-party warranty company, ask about its review process. For questions about your rights under the written warranty or contract, the Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board suggests homeowners may consult an attorney, and that is the right professional for a legal dispute. For suspected structural concerns, a licensed engineer is the right person to evaluate them.
Our Perspective
We have walked through a lot of one-year-old homes, and the pattern is consistent: the homeowners who get the best outcomes are the ones who looked early and wrote everything down. Nothing about that is complicated, but a busy family rarely has the time or the tools to do it well. That is why we built our warranty inspection around clear documentation. Thermal imaging at no extra cost lets us see insulation gaps, potential moisture issues, and overheated electrical components that a visual walk-through can miss. Moisture meters help confirm whether a stain is an active problem. Drones let us view a roof safely when climbing it is not wise. And the photo and video report is meant to be something you can forward to your builder without translating it. We are a family-owned, local company, and we treat your home the way we would want ours treated. Our inspectors are InterNACHI-certified, complete ongoing education every year, and stand behind the InterNACHI Honor Guarantee. Our approach is to tell you what we find, plainly and without drama, so you can make a smart decision about what to ask your builder to fix. If you are inside your first year, the best day to start is today. A report in hand gives you options. Waiting until the last week takes some of them away. Matt
Book Your Warranty Inspection With Trinity
If you are approaching the end of your builder warranty, Trinity Home Inspections can inspect your home, document what we find, and deliver a photo and video report designed to be same-day. We serve Baldwin, Mobile, Washington, Monroe, Clarke, and Escambia counties and the surrounding Gulf Coast areas, including Spanish Fort, Daphne, Fairhope, Foley, Gulf Shores, and Orange Beach.
You can see our full list of services, including the 11-month warranty inspection, on our main site. If your findings point to a moisture or air concern, we also offer mold testing and sewer scope inspections as add-ons.
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Before The Inspector Arrives: A Short Prep List
A little preparation makes the visit more productive.
Make a list of everything you have noticed. Sticking doors, drips, smells, noises, and rooms that never feel comfortable.
Clear access. Inspectors need to reach the electrical panel, water heater, attic hatch, and under-sink cabinets.
Gather paperwork. Your warranty, closing documents, and previous reports help us understand what was already noted.
Note when problems happen. A leak that only appears during heavy rain or an AC issue that shows up in the afternoon is a useful clue.
Be there if you can. A walk-through at the end lets us point out items in person. For more ideas, see our new construction home inspection checklist and the shorter punchlist guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a warranty inspection worth it if my home is brand new?
Yes, in most cases. Many problems appear only after a full year of weather and use, and the inspection documents them while the builder may still owe a repair. Think of it as a low-cost way to make use of coverage you already have.
Does Alabama require builders to give a warranty?
No. The Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board says its licensure law does not require a written home warranty, although many licensed builders provide one. Your contract and warranty document set the terms, so read them or ask for a copy.
How long before the warranty ends should I book?
We suggest the ninth or tenth month for a one-year warranty. That leaves room for the inspection, a written request, and the builder’s repair scheduling. If your warranty has different coverage periods, count back from the earliest one.
Can the inspector tell me what my warranty covers?
The inspector documents conditions. Coverage is determined by your written warranty and your builder or warranty company. We organize the report so you can compare each finding to your warranty language and submit your request with confidence.
What if I find a problem after the warranty expires?
You may have fewer options, depending on your contract. Some problems, such as major structural defects, may be covered longer in some warranties. If you have a legal question about your options, an attorney is the right person to ask.
Ready To Schedule?
Call 251-210-7376 or visit TrinityInspectionsLLC.com to book your warranty inspection before your builder’s coverage runs out.
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