11-Month Warranty Inspections
If you bought a newly built home, there’s a good chance your builder’s warranty covers the first year of ownership, and that coverage typically expires right around the 12-month mark. The problem is, a lot of the issues that show up in a new home don’t reveal themselves until the house has gone through a full cycle of seasons: a hot summer, a cold winter, humidity, and everything in between. Settling, minor foundation movement, drywall cracking, and drainage issues often don’t appear until months after move-in.
An 11-month warranty inspection is a full home inspection scheduled about a month before your builder’s warranty runs out. It gives you time to document any issues in writing and submit them to your builder while you’re still covered, instead of finding a problem in month 13 and being told it’s now on you to fix. We’ve seen this timing matter for homeowners across South and Central Jersey, especially with the volume of new construction going up in towns like Mount Laurel, Sicklerville, and Washington Township over the past several years.
What we look for during an 11-month warranty inspection
- Foundation and structural settling that's developed since move-in
- Drywall cracks, nail pops, and trim separation from normal settling
- Roofing, flashing, and gutter issues that may have appeared after the first year of weather exposure
- Grading and drainage problems around the foundation
- Window and door seals, caulking, and weatherstripping performance
- HVAC system performance through a full heating and cooling season
- Plumbing fixtures, water heater, and evidence of any leaks
- Electrical panel, outlets, and fixtures for proper installation
- Any punch list items from your original walkthrough that were never fully resolved
The goal is a clear, documented report you can hand directly to your builder, organized in a way that makes it easy for them to understand exactly what needs attention and why it falls within the warranty period.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ideally about 10 to 11 months after your closing date, giving you enough time to submit a warranty claim before the 12-month coverage ends. Builders typically require written notice before the deadline, so don’t wait until the last week.
Your original pre-closing walkthrough happens before you own the home and can’t catch issues that only show up after a year of settling and seasonal changes. An 11-month inspection looks at how the home has actually performed under real living conditions.
Most reputable builders do, and a detailed, professionally documented report often carries more weight than a homeowner’s own list of concerns. It gives your claim a level of documentation that’s hard to dispute.
Unfortunately, most builder warranties are strict about the 12-month cutoff, which is exactly why scheduling this inspection with enough lead time matters. Waiting until month 12 can mean missing the window entirely.
Yes. We also offer new construction inspections at other stages of the building process, including pre-drywall and final walkthrough, in addition to the 11-month warranty inspection.
Schedule your 11-month warranty inspection
in South and Central Jersey
Don’t let your builder’s warranty expire before you know what’s covered. Call 267-240-0729 or visit tomlinsonhomeinspection.com/schedule-an-inspection to get your inspection scheduled with time to spare.