Tarion and the Dangers of the Conciliation Deadline

The Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act and its regulations govern Tarion, the province's new home warranty program. Under the act, a warranty claimant must request conciliation within a specified time limit, or the claimant is "deemed to have withdrawn its claim." While Tarion can extend the deadline in certain circumstances, many claimants may let the process lapse simply because the full nature and extent of the problem is not immediately apparent. Claimants should arrange for a full and thorough investigation of their claim by an expert before the conciliation request deadline to better assess whether to pursue conciliation.