What Does My Mobile Home Warranty Cover?

Picture this: You just bought your beautiful brand-new mobile home, and it is time to move in! HOORAY! But while moving in, the horror of a broken countertop comes your way. OH NO!

What do you do?

Is your new mobile home ruined?

The answer is simple. Absolutely NOT!

The truth is, it is inevitable that your home will suffer some dings and cracks while in transit. But try not to worry too much, we have you covered with factory and extended warranties!

When you purchase a brand-new manufactured home, the factory knows there may be defects upon arrival, so they provide a one-year service warranty for specific areas of maintenance on the home.

So, what’s all included in this warranty and what is the process to make sure your home gets everything fixed that needs to be?

Follow along with us in this article and we will be sure to answer all those pending questions!

The Cosmetic Warranty

The Cosmetic Warranty has everything to do with how your home is presented.

Presented? What does a presentation have to do with my mobile home, you may be wondering?

Well, an easy way to remember this warranty, is just like makeup products are commonly referred to as cosmetics and are about your appearance, your cosmetic warranty is about how the home looks and not the hidden, structural pieces of the home.

For example, the counter tops, paint, doors, light fixtures, and as you can imagine, the list goes on. These are all covered under the cosmetic warranty.

In order to ensure that your cosmetic needs are met after delivery, we ask that you live in your home for 30 days before submitting what we call a “punch list”.

Why the 30 days?

Well, part of the factory guidelines for the warranty is that cosmetic defects with the home need to be addressed during one visit. If you live in the home for at least a month, marking little dings or mistakes here and there, you are more likely to cover it all rather than in one walk through.

It’s important to note: in order to get your cosmetic items fixed, they MUST be added to the punch-list.

What happens if you don’t add them to your punch-list?

Unfortunately, your cosmetic needs will not get serviced/fixed, and those issues will then become your responsibility to take care of.

So, keep your eyes open, use sticky notes if you want to, and try to be patient. We know you don’t want to look at that piece of loose trim for 30 days, but, we promise, it’s for the greater good!

What is a Punch-List and How to Create One?

The “Punch-List” is SUPER important.

A punch list is just a list of everything that needs to get fixed.

So, why the use of the word “punch?”

It is thought that contractors used to punch a hole for each line on the paper as an item was complete, but nobody is really sure of why punch got stuck in front of “list.”

Just a fun story to tell!

Ultimately, it is the difference between a blemished home, and a beautiful home.

The more detailed the better! You have one shot to get these imperfections corrected until they are considered your responsibility. If the factory will not cover the repair, we cannot provide the service.

So, think of every little thing that is an issue, and we will get it fixed for you!

Here’s how it works:

• You make your detailed list
• Send in your list
• We order needed parts from the factory
• Once parts are received, repairs will be scheduled
• All reported defects and repairs are made together at one time
• You sit back and smile while drinking your favorite punch knowing your punch-list is taken care of

But how are we sure we get the right stuff? Pictures, lots of pictures!

In our mobile app, we have a section created specifically for this part of the home buying process, where you have the ability to take pictures directly from your smart phone of any needed repairs.

You’ll simply capture the photo or select from your photo gallery and press send! Just 2 easy steps and then the punch-list items are ready for us to review so that we can get you the needed parts.

We understand that technology isn’t for everyone.

So, if using an app is not your thing, there is also a way to do this same process using a hand-written list.

However, while you can send us a handwritten list, it can also lead to unclear concerns that have the potential to not get fixed. This option isn’t ideal, but we understand that it is the preferred option to some folks, so if this is the way you would like to go, give us a call at 210-769-9079, and we would be more than happy to assist you through the process!

The punch-list needs to be sent in within 90 days of the home installation. This requirement protects the factory from repairing a defect that was really customer damage or normal wear and tear of home use (i.e., stained carpet, scuffed floor, wall scratches from furniture).

What About My One Year of Service?

You’re probably thinking “90 days is not one year.” And you are correct!

While small cosmetic fixes only get 90 days, structure and safety get the full year.

For example, leaks, electrical, sub-floor, roof, windows, and appliances all fall under that one-year warranty. These matters are taken very seriously, and in most cases considered an emergency or high priority.

It is our goal to provide a repair technician within 24-48 hours for emergency repairs.

In addition, any cosmetic damage that results from one of these issues will be repaired as well.

And the AC… We know first-hand here in Texas how urgent the AC unit repair can be!

No need to worry.

The air conditioning unit purchased through us comes with a 10-year parts-and-labor warranty, so you and your family will live easy, breezy and comfortable in your home in no time at all.

What is an Extended Warranty & Should I get One?

Similar to extended warranties on a vehicle or electronics, you can get extended warranties that cover fixing major problems with your home.

We offer a couple of different plans which will give you a 5-year warranty with the fullest plan covering structural integrity, plumbing, electrical, and appliances.

Should you get an extended warranty?

The answer isn’t so simple.

Everyone is different… Some folks think it is a gamble; sometimes you win and sometimes the warranty company wins. Others find it a way to ensure more than 1800 peaceful nights of sleep knowing that if anything should go wrong, it is already covered.

Sounds like a sweet dream to us!

The only thing we tell people, whether it is our customers or someone shopping elsewhere, be very sure you know what your warranty covers before you sign on the dotted line. Everyone knows a story of a person who bought cheap insurance later to find out their particular incident wasn’t covered by their insurance.

What a nightmare!

So, take the time to ask your housing consultant about what is and is not covered. The best way to have that conversation is to have the housing consultant highlight key points in the insurance coverage documents about what is and is not covered by the policy.

Surprise gifts are always exciting; however, surprise insurance details are rarely a good thing.

Let’s work together to avoid these unwarranted surprises!

A Warranty only Works if the Company Does

Some buyers receive a lot more “talk” than they do “walk” once their sales center gets paid.

Suddenly the promises, guarantees, and hand-over-heart pledges are nothing more than ringing words in your memory.

We have heard all sorts of unfortunate stories such as the “30-year roof warranty” turned out to be a shingle in the mail you had to install yourself. The “10-year service warranty” was actually a banner on the wall but not written into your contract.

The list and lies go on longer than this article…

We have all been let down by promises like these, but we are here to make sure you get exactly what you sign up for!

Here is an excerpt taken from our Braustin Home Buyer’s Guide on choosing a company that will keep their promises:

Your secret weapon will be searching a company’s social media pages to see what real customers think about a manufactured home company. Usually Facebook is the most helpful.

Don’t just look at the ratings though, take the time to go through the reviews to see what the customers had to say and what their reasoning was for their review. What you are really looking for are the negative experiences and just how “bad” they really are.

If you see a review with a low rating that states that the customers didn’t like the brand a company carried or a company was too far away then you can just ignore these because it will have nothing to do with your purchase experience.

However, if you see a bunch of reviews stating that the company never responded to service issues after the sale or they did not deliver what they promised, then be sure to pay attention.

If you ever get the feeling a company is making a few too many promises, it’s time to read between the lines and squint a little harder at the fine print, but most importantly – hold tight to your wallet.

Ultimately, if you can trust the people that you purchased your home from, you can trust they will do what they promised, and that’s what we are here to prove.

So that’s it: What Does My Mobile Home Warranty Cover? This blog has been revised to keep information and images previously shared, current. Follow the links in this page to read more information on each topic. We would love to chat with you or hear about your experience on our Facebook page or through our Contact Form.