WARRANTY EXPRESS LOGIN

All of RWC’s home warranty programs feature mandatory binding arbitration of Unresolved Warranty Issues.* RWC and its builder members have been very successful at persuading courts to recognize and enforce the warranty’s mandatory binding arbitration provision. Courts across the country have removed cases from the courthouse and directed them to arbitration under RWC’s Limited Warranty Program.

A good example can be found in this case study. RWC had issued a warranty on a home that was in Year 1 of home warranty coverage, and the homeowners filed a lawsuit against the builder. The builder was well-equipped to defend himself with the warranty book, the application for warranty and his own contract, which included language that made the RWC builder warranty, including the warranty’s binding arbitration language, applicable to any alleged warranty defects in the home. Even though the homeowners argued that RWC’s warranty should not be enforced in that state, the court endorsed RWC’s warranty, and the motion brought by the Builder to compel arbitration and dismiss the homeowners’ lawsuit was granted in its entirety.

Consequently, the homeowners initiated a request for home warranty performance with RWC. Prior to arbitration, the warranty provides for informal mediation. The parties agreed to use RWC’s mediation to try to settle the disputes about the alleged house warranty defects. RWC became actively involved mediating between the homeowners and the builder. Through this mediation, communication between the homeowners and the builder has improved and several items have been amicably resolved. We are encouraged that most, if not all warranty items, will soon be resolved in the same way. At the conclusion of mediation, if any items remain unresolved, the homeowners and builder will proceed to binding arbitration under the terms of the warranty.

This is a real case and a great example of how RWC’s mandatory binding arbitration provision is an effective tool in preventing litigation. It also supports the value of using RWC’s mediation process to resolve disputes about alleged warranty defects in the homes you build.

*Note that the mandatory arbitration provision is removed by the HUD addendum, and thus mandatory arbitration does not apply to home warranties placed on HUD homes.

The vast majority of RWC builders utilize our online enrollment system, Warranty Express: a unique membership feature of our home warranty company. But did you know that if you also pay for your homes online, you will SAVE MONEY, too? Enroll your homes on Warranty Express and pay for them online by credit card or I-check, and RWC waives the $6.95 processing fee* for each one. Think about it: if you enroll 100 homes per year, that $6.95 fee morphs into a nifty $695.00 pretty quickly!

If you still enroll your homes manually, switch to Warranty Express and take advantage of this online method for enrollment and payment of home warranties. The system is secure, your closing documents are ready for you quickly, but best of all, you save not only the $6.95 per home, but also a lot of time!

What else can you do on Warranty Express besides enrolling a home?

Need more details about this special builder warranty program? Contact RWC - a leader in new home warranties - today!

* Does not apply to Building System Manufacturers, Remodelers, Commercial Builders, or HUD-Code (Manufactured) Manufacturers.

Residential Warranty Company, LLC (RWC) and its affiliates, HOME of Texas and MHWC, continue to make strides in streamlining the application process for builders joining the group’s elite builder warranty programs. The latest step is to eliminate the inspection requirement* for homes being ‘grandfathered’ (homes that are either under construction prior to membership approval or completed, but not occupied) into the program. Previously, the home warranty companies required that up to 3 homes be inspected prior to membership approval at a cost to the builder of $150 per inspection. By eliminating this requirement, RWC, HOME & MHWC are able to save potential members up to $450 in inspection/application costs.

Joining RWC’s elite builder warranty program is the best way for today’s builders to deal with customer service and risk management issues. Offering a wide variety of unique home warranty options, RWC understands that just one warranty rarely meets everyone’s needs. RWC's “menu” of warranties and services creates comprehensive coverage and effective risk management for the greatest long-term stability.

RWC’s mission is to provide a level of security to builders and their customers and has devoted over three decades to that purpose across the country. Being able to provide a variety of services to members is the result of much hard work and due diligence along the way. RWC has established itself as a rock solid leader in providing home warranty protection. When a builder becomes a member, they benefit from 30+ years of leadership and experience that is unrivaled in the warranty industry.

*Homes over $1 million in sales volume may still need to be inspected. Prospective members may contact the home warranty company for further details.

Residential Warranty Company, LLC is one of the nation’s oldest and largest providers of written insured builder warranties. Builders seeking options in coverage, sensible home warranty protection, and assistance in dealing with customer service, choose RWC. In business for over 30 years, RWC has warranted over 3 million homes and its Insurer is rated “A- (Excellent)” by A.M. Best. An extensive “menu of choices” in both home warranties and general liability insurance is available, enabling builders to reduce their liability and increase the marketability of their homes.

In addition to our variety of home warranty programs, RWC offers unique features to make membership as effective and efficient as possible - features including Warranty Express.*

Warranty Express allows Builders to enroll homes online. With the click of a button, Builders can submit their enrollments, print out closing documents, and even pay for their home warranty fees. Builders save both time and money spent on manual form preparation and postage. Marketing materials and enrollment reports may also be ordered online. Warranty Express also enables Builders to renew their membership online.

Warranty Express enables you to:

With Warranty Express, you win!

For your convenience, we have a link to the Warranty Express login in the top right hand corner of every page on our home warranty company website. So no matter where you are, when you’re visiting our website, Warranty Express is just one short click away!

* Not yet available for certain enrollments: Colorado, MHWC, RSW, or Condominiums.

** Surcharge in IN and MD still applies for additional coverage required by state statute.

Yes, our builder warranties cover structural defects! That structural coverage is just one of the many benefits of RWC’s home warranty programs. Providing an RWC warranty on your homes reduces your liability and assures you that your homeowners are protected for covered structural defects for the entire term of the home warranty.

RWC offers two different types of structural coverage: Major Structural Defect (MSD) coverage and Designated Structural Element (DSE) coverage. During the coverage periods when the insurer is the warrantor, the warranty resolution process includes a free fact-finding inspection by a licensed, professional engineer. After that inspection, RWC determines whether the alleged defect is covered. If coverage is granted, then RWC repairs, replaces or pays the reasonable cost of repair or replacement of the affected structural component.

Here is one case study demonstrating the home warranty coverage we provide and the manner in which we handle homeowner complaints.

Major Structural Defect (MSD) Case Study:

This home was in year 10 of coverage. The homeowner claimed that “the garage foundation has failed, causing cracks, sinking of floor and walls.” He also complained that the damage did not allow a door to function properly.

RWC retained a licensed, professional engineer and scheduled him to perform an inspection of the home. RWC uses the observations and opinions of engineers to make coverage determinations when homeowners allege that their homes have an MSD or a defect in a DSE.

The engineer found and reported that there were foundation wall cracks along the perimeter of the garage and indicated that the cracks were particularly obvious in the area of the main door. Elevation readings indicated that the garage had experienced significant differential settlement and that settlement was an ongoing problem. The engineer gave RWC his opinion that the garage foundation wall had failed. The combination of failure of a structural element, actual damage to a structural element in the form of cracks in the foundation wall, and an adverse effect on safety (the garage main door not functioning properly) satisfied the Major Structural Defect criteria. Thus, we granted the claim.

Next, RWC obtained a repair plan from the engineer. The plan called for the placement of seven hydraulically-driven push piers to stabilize the downward vertical movement of the garage’s foundation wall.

RWC then hired a contractor to visit the home to provide an estimate based on the engineer’s repair plan. RWC offered a monetary settlement to the homeowner in the amount of the contractor’s estimate. The homeowner accepted the offer and executed the required Full and Final Release. The homeowner was satisfied and the claim was resolved without requiring the builder to take any action or pay one dollar to the homeowner.

This is just one example from our nearly 100,000 Warranty Resolution files that shows how homeowners and builders alike are protected by RWC’s home warranty coverage.

Homeowners receive assurance that their homes will be fixed if they experience defects covered by the builder warranty, and builders have their customers satisfied by an experienced and capable Warranty Resolution staff at no cost to them – a great value to both parties!