New Home Warranty - ever had to use it?
Background: So we bought a semi-finished home in March that still needed a few things to complete (landscaping, garage exterior, and some bits and bobs), and of course a few things that needed to be fixed since (water leaks in the ceiling thanks to poor balcony sealing).
Our developer has been absolutely terrible when it comes to basic communication and fixing issues (which of course was much better before we bought). Doesn't answer phone calls (not once!), doesn't answer email (maybe twice over the last 8 months), so the only way to get a hold of him is when he randomly shows up on our site and I have to chase him down. At that point he's friendly and promises a lot....and then maybe it gets done. Maybe.
We've been here for 8 months now and still don't have any fencing or landscaping, and there are still a bunch of leaks and other internal issues to fix. Frankly it's embarrassing to be the one guy on the block with a front yard that looks like war-torn Sarajevo.
So I guess my question is, at what point does one reach out to the New Home Warranty program? Is there a way to do it that's more effective than others? And is it even effective? Does the warranty reimburse me if i hire people on my own? Or do I have to go through them, and they do it?
If anyone here has ever made a claim, I'd love to hear your experience.
Btw, we did have a hold-back to cover these things if they are not finished, but the hold-back just wouldn't cover everything that needs to be done, so I cant just back out and hire someone without taking a financial hit.
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