A new home is a large investment—the largest investment many people will ever make. The Alberta New Home Warranty Program (ANHWP) and Canadian Home Warranty Protection Program (CHWPP) knows just how important that investment is to you and has developed this guide to help you protect your investment. Like a vehicle, a home requires maintenance to keep it in good working order. We encourage you to protect your investment and safeguard your warranties by following the advice in this guide. Homes have always reflected the technology of the day as manufacturers and builders strive to improve their product. Tried and true materials and systems often change slowly but custom materials and new systems are always coming on the market. Though newer models/products often prove more robust than previous generations, maintenance of some sort is still usually required. Most of us take care of minor maintenance problems as they arise but many repairs would not be necessary if our focus shifted to preventative maintenance. There are many easy things a homeowner can do to prevent a minor maintenance project from becoming an expensive repair. We have included a list of maintenance tasks for each month of the year to help you stay on top of your home’s maintenance needs. In addition to avoiding expensive repairs, regular maintenance is often required to preserve warranty protection. Products should be used for their intended purpose and serviced accordingly. The warranty protection ANHWP and CHWPP provides is detailed in the home’s warranty policy or certificate, which often stipulate that maintenance is required to ensure warranty protection. Throughout this guide, the term ‘home’ is used. While single-family homes may immediately come to mind, ‘home’ is also intended to represent multiplexes, townhomes, and units in multi-family buildings. Protect Your Investment INTRODUCTION i