A property manager called me about peeling paint on a stairwell her building had repainted 14 months earlier — the two-year warranty would have covered it, but nobody could find it
A property manager called me about paint lifting off the concrete block walls in two stairwells at her condo. The stairwells had been repainted a little over a year before, by another contractor. When I asked about the warranty, she went looking. The contract said two years on labour and materials, but nobody had a copy of the warranty letter, the contractor’s contact had changed, and the board minutes didn’t say when the job was accepted. This post covers why a repaint warranty is only worth what you do with it, and how to run a warranty walk before it runs out. It’s for property managers and condo boards, not homeowners.
1. The warranty starts on a date someone has to write down
Most painting warranties run from substantial completion or the date the work was accepted, not from the date on the contract. If nobody records that date, every conversation later starts with an argument about whether you’re still covered.
On this building, the job had been signed off at a board meeting, but the minutes just said “painting complete.” We had to piece the date together from the final invoice and an email.
What to look at: For every painting job, write the acceptance date, the warranty length and what it covers on one line in your building records, next to the contractor’s current contact.
2. Keep the papers that make a claim possible
A claim is much easier when you can show what was supposed to be done. That means the scope of work, the product list with colours and sheens, the warranty letter, the deficiency list from the final walk and the photos. I go through what a good scope has in it in writing a condo painting scope of work.
Without the product list, nobody can tell whether the paint failed or whether the wrong primer went on the block in the first place, and that’s usually the whole question.
What to look at: Make one folder per painting job, paper or digital, and put those five things in it the week the job closes.
3. Walk the job before the warranty ends, not after
The failures a warranty is meant to catch usually show up in the first year or two: paint lifting where there was moisture, flaking on surfaces that weren’t cleaned or primed, peeling on metal, cracking at patched drywall. If you walk the work two or three months before the warranty expires, you have time to report it, get the contractor in and have it fixed while it’s still their cost.
I’d walk it the same way as the final walk, with the same list in hand, so you can see what’s new. I cover that walk in the painting deficiency walkthrough.
What to look at: Put a reminder in your calendar for three months before each painting warranty ends, with the folder linked to it.
4. Tell the difference between a defect and wear
A warranty covers the work, not what happens to it. Paint lifting off a wall nobody touches is a defect. Scuffs from moving day, chips at a door frame where carts hit it, and marks from cleaning are wear. If the claim mixes the two, the contractor will push back on all of it.
In those stairwells, the flaking was at the bottom of the block walls on the lowest two floors, where moisture comes through from the ground. The block hadn’t been tested or primed for that, and that’s a fair warranty item.
What to look at: Photograph each item with a date, and sort your list into “failed on its own” and “damaged by use” before you send it.
5. Send the claim in writing, with a date to respond
When you find problems, send the contractor one written notice with the photos, locations and the warranty letter attached, and ask for a date to come and look. A phone call is fine to start, but the written notice is what shows you reported it in time.
What to look at: Keep a copy of the notice and the contractor’s reply in the job folder, and note the date you sent it.
What to do if you’re seeing any of this
If your building had painting done in the last couple of years and you’re seeing peeling, blistering or flaking, I’ll walk it with you, sort out what looks like a defect and what’s wear, and help you put together a list you can send to the original contractor. If the repair ends up being yours, I’ll give you a scope and a number. I work with condominium corporations and property managers across Ottawa — Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, Orleans, Westboro and Stittsville. Call 613.325.3011 or email yasir@heims.ca.
— Yasir, HEIMS Construction
HEIMS Construction is an Ottawa-based commercial painting and drywall contractor serving condominium corporations, property managers and institutional clients across the Ottawa area. Fully licensed and insured, with $5M commercial general liability coverage.