General information about Alberta and City of Calgary rules, written in plain language and linked to the sources. It isn't legal advice. Laws change and details matter, so check the source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.
If you bought a newer home in Alberta, it almost certainly came with a warranty that the law requires. Many owners never look at it until something leaks, and by then a deadline may already have passed.
The rules come from the New Home Buyer Protection Act and the Home Warranty Insurance Regulation. This guide covers the coverage periods, where your roof fits, how to check any home's warranty, and how this coverage sits alongside the warranties you get when a roof is later replaced.
The four coverage periods
Section 3(6) of the Act sets the minimum coverage every home warranty insurance contract must provide. People call it 1-2-5-10.
| Coverage | Minimum period | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Materials and labour | 1 year | Defects in materials and labour |
| Delivery and distribution systems | 2 years | Defects in materials and labour in the electrical, gas, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems |
| Building envelope | 5 years | Defects that stop the shell of the house, including the roof and walls, from doing its job |
| Structural | 10-year period | Structural defects. Alberta.ca describes this as the frame, including the roof's structural integrity, and the foundation |
When the clock starts
Coverage runs from the start of the home's protection period. For the most common case, a builder selling you a house on its own land, that's the earliest of three dates: when the home was first occupied, when the municipality or its agency gave permission to occupy it, or when the title transfer was registered.
The warranty stays with the house. The Act's definition of owner includes later buyers, and the regulation's policy conditions say the warranty contract transfers to the new owner when title changes during the protection period. If you bought a five-year-old home, you may still have building envelope coverage for a short time and structural coverage for several more years.
The Act also requires warranty providers to offer extra building envelope coverage for an additional charge. Alberta.ca says builders can buy an additional 2 years of building envelope coverage.
What the building envelope is, and where the roof fits
The Act defines the building envelope as the parts of a house that separate heated or cooled indoor space from unconditioned space, the outside air or the ground. A defect in it is one that makes it fail to do that job. Alberta.ca puts it more plainly: the shell of the home, including the roof and walls.
So a roof that leaks because it was installed wrong, or flashing at a wall that was never sealed properly, is the kind of defect envelope coverage is for, within 5 years. A sagging roof because trusses were built wrong is a structural problem, covered for the 10-year structural period.
How to check a home's warranty on the public registry
The New Home Buyer Protection Office keeps a public property registry. It's useful before you buy a newer home and when you need to make a claim.
- Open the New Home Buyer Protection public property registry.
- Search by the property address.
- Note whether the home has warranty coverage and the date coverage started. Work out which periods are still running.
- Record the warranty provider's and builder's names and contact details. Claims go to the warranty provider.
- If the home doesn't appear, check the build date. Alberta.ca says homes with a building permit applied for on or before February 1, 2014 aren't included, and files still in process won't show.
New home, manufacturer and workmanship warranties side by side
Three different warranties can touch the same roof. They're separate, and they don't replace each other.
- New home warranty. Covers defects in the builder's construction for the legislated periods. The regulation lets providers exclude designs, materials or labour supplied by anyone other than the builder and its subcontractors, and damage from alterations by anyone other than the builder.
- Manufacturer warranty. Covers defects in the roofing product itself, on terms the manufacturer sets. It usually has its own registration and installation requirements.
- Workmanship warranty. The roofing contractor's own promise about the installation it did. Its length and terms are whatever the contract says.
Replacing or repairing the roof on a home still under warranty
If your home is inside its 5-year envelope period and the roof has a problem, talk to the warranty provider before anyone else touches it. Once another contractor alters the roof, the provider may be able to exclude that part under the alterations exclusion, and the evidence of the original defect may be gone.
If the damage is from a storm and your insurer is paying for a new roof, the new roofing isn't the builder's work, so the new home warranty may not cover it. Its main protection then is the manufacturer's warranty and the workmanship warranty from whoever installed it. The rest of your new home warranty, like structure, isn't cancelled by the replacement. For your specific situation, read your warranty certificate or speak to the provider or a lawyer.
Is the roof covered by Alberta's new home warranty?
Yes, for construction defects. Alberta.ca says the building envelope, which has 5 years of minimum coverage, includes the roof and walls, and the 10-year structural coverage includes the roof's structural integrity. Damage from hail, normal wear or poor maintenance can be excluded.
How do I find out who my new home warranty provider is?
Search your address on the New Home Buyer Protection public property registry. It shows whether the home has coverage, when coverage started, and the names and contact details of the warranty provider and builder.
Does the new home warranty transfer when I sell?
Yes. The Act's definition of owner includes subsequent purchasers, and the Home Warranty Insurance Regulation says the warranty contract transfers to the new owner when title changes during the protection period.
Will replacing my shingles void the new home warranty?
It doesn't cancel the whole warranty, but the regulation lets the provider exclude damage caused by alterations made by someone other than the builder, and materials or labour supplied by others. Contact the warranty provider first if the home is still in its envelope period.
Where the facts on this page come from. If a source has changed since we last checked, tell us and we'll fix the page.
- New Home Buyer Protection Act, SA 2012, c N-3.2 (ss. 1, 1.1, 3) · Alberta King's Printer
- Home Warranty Insurance Regulation, AR 225/2013 (ss. 6 and 7, policy conditions) · Alberta King's Printer
- New home warranty: Overview · Government of Alberta
- New home warranty: Public registries · Government of Alberta