Deficiency lists in Canada: PDIs, Tarion and provincial warranties
Canada uses "punch list" on some sites, but the word you will hear most is deficiencies — a deficiency list, deficiency walk, or deficiency holdback. Same document, Canadian name.
New homes in Ontario: Tarion
Ontario has the most structured process in the country, run through Tarion's new home warranty. It covers seven years in total from possession, in one-, two- and seven-year layers. Snagging happens in three steps:
- The pre-delivery inspection (PDI). Before you take possession you walk the home with the builder and record what is damaged, incomplete or missing. The PDI form is not itself a warranty claim — but it is your evidence that a defect existed before you moved in. Take photos of everything.
- The 30-Day Form. Within the first 30 days of possession, you submit outstanding PDI items and anything new. You can only submit one, so include everything. PDI items not repeated here can lose their protection.
- The Year-End Form. In the last 30 days of the first year, you submit whatever has appeared since. There is a second-year form for items under the two-year coverage too.
The builder then has a set period to repair. If it does not, you can ask Tarion for a conciliation inspection. Use Tarion's online portal to track the dates — missing a window is the most common way buyers lose cover.
Other provinces
Most provinces have their own mandatory new home warranty, typically in a ladder:
- British Columbia: "2-5-10" — two years on materials and labour (with shorter periods for some items), five on the building envelope, ten on structure.
- Alberta: one year on materials and labour, two on delivery and distribution systems, five on the building envelope, ten on structure.
- Quebec and other provinces run their own plans with their own claim steps.
Whatever the province, the pattern holds: the first-year cover is where snagging lives, and it expires first.
Commercial work: deficiency holdbacks
On commercial projects, deficiencies are listed at or near substantial performance. Owners usually hold back money against them — separately from the statutory lien holdback (10% in many provinces, including Ontario under its Construction Act). The deficiency holdback is typically sized at a multiple of the estimated cost to fix, and released as items are signed off.
That makes the quality of the list a money question: an item without a location, photo or clear "done" condition is an item someone will argue about before releasing funds.
This is a general guide, not legal advice. Periods and rules change, and your own contract can add to them — check it, and take professional advice before relying on a deadline.