What Should Be Included in a New Home Warranty?

Betenbough Homes

Oct 08 2025

What Should Be Included in a New Home Warranty?

Buying a new home is one of life’s most exciting milestones — and one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make. That’s why having a strong new home warranty isn’t just a nice benefit; it’s an essential part of protecting your home and your peace of mind.

At Betenbough Homes, we believe homeowners deserve confidence in the craftsmanship and materials that make up their home. A comprehensive new home warranty ensures that if something unexpected happens, you’re covered. Here’s what a quality new home warranty should include and why it matters.

Photo of the Betenbough Homes warranty team inspecting a new home's roof.

1. Structural Coverage

The foundation, framing, and load-bearing components of your home form its structural backbone. A good new home warranty includes structural coverage that protects against major defects in these areas — typically for up to 10 years.

This kind of protection gives homeowners assurance that the home’s essential structure is sound and built to last.

A member of the Betenbough Homes warranty team loads a ladder into his truck after performing warranty work on a new home.

2. Labor and Materials

Your warranty should cover both labor and materials for it to be considered "comprehensive." You don't want to get stuck with a bill for either labor or materials for any work covered by the policy.

A Betenbough Homes warranty technician teachers a first time home buyer how to replace the air filter on their HVAC system.

3. Systems Coverage

Your home’s essential systems — including plumbing, electrical, and HVAC — should also be included in your warranty for a defined period. These systems are key to your daily comfort, and coverage helps protect against defects or installation issues that could arise within the first few years of ownership.

Betenbough Homes automatically registers new home buyers for their appliance warranties.

4. Appliance and Fixture Protection

Some builders include limited warranties on the appliances and fixtures installed in your home. These warranties often come directly from the manufacturer, but a good homebuilder will help you understand how to access them and what’s covered.

At Betenbough Homes, we provide each home buyer with a detailed list of their manufacturer warranties in their Warranty Guide, and we automatically register the home buyer for most of them. These appliance warranties include: doorknobs and locks (lifetime warranty), water heater (six year warranty), and LG kitchen appliances (1 year warranty).

A Betenbough Homes experience specialist takes the home buyer on a thorough tour of the home at their Welcome Home Orientation.

5. Clear Communication and Easy Claims Process

A warranty is only as good as the support that comes with it. Look for a builder that provides a transparent, easy-to-understand process for submitting warranty requests and tracking repairs.

In addition to the two-year comprehensive home warranty and the appliance warranties already mentioned, each new Betenbough home comes with the following warranties: vinyl siding and soffit (lifetime warranty), painted metal fascia (lifetime warranty), shingles (30 year warranty), windows (varies by component), fireplace (ten year warranty), HVAC system (10 year warranty), plus garage door and motor (varies by manufacturer),

At Betenbough Homes, we have a dedicated warranty team in each of our regions, and they pro-actively reach out to our home buyers 30 days after closing and again 11 months after closing. In addition, Betenbough homeowners can reach out to their warranty team at any time with questions or service requests, ensuring homeownership stays as stress-free as possible.

A Betenbough Homes warranty technician explains dishwasher maintenance to a new homeowner.

6. What Home Warranties Typically Don't Cover

Home warranties have some exclusions, and homeowners should understand what those are. Typical home warranty exclusions include:

Anything considered regular home maintenance.
Additions or improvements that were not included in the original home purchase.
Damage caused by negligence, abuse, or improper maintenance.
Damage caused by war, terrorism, vandalism, acts of God, fire, weather, falling objects, wildlife, etc.
Repairs not pre-authorized by the warranty provider.

Betenbough Homes provides a homeowner maintenance guide to each new home buyer. This guide is especially handy for first-time homeowners, and it includes a schedule for home maintenance items (such as cleaning the dishwasher seal monthly, sealing the granite countertops every six months, etc.).

Peace of Mind

Beyond covering specific systems and structures, a great warranty gives you something even more valuable: peace of mind. Knowing your home is backed by a trusted builder allows you to focus on what really matters — creating memories in your new space. While the industry standard is a one-year new home warranty, Betenbough Homes offers a comprehensive two-year warranty because we stand behind the quality of our homes!

A new home warranty should protect your investment, provide clarity about coverage, and reflect the builder’s commitment to quality. When you purchase from a builder who stands behind their work, you can feel confident your home was built to last — and that support continues long after you move in.

Want to learn more about the Betenbough Homes warranty process? Talk with one of our New Home Specialists to discover how we stand behind every home we build.