Did You Return Your Signed Application for Enrollment?
Nobody likes paperwork but sometimes it’s a necessity. HOME of Texas requires a signed Application for Enrollment* to finalize the warranty and to validate coverage. A home cannot be warranted with HOME until that signed Application for Enrollment is returned with both the homeowner’s and the builder’s signature. Also, payment must be remitted to HOME if not already paid on Warranty Express.
Many builders, and you may be one of them, rely on the closing agent or an attorney to send in the signed application. Unfortunately, sometimes this gets lost in translation and the signed application and maybe even payment is not received by HOME. Sometimes HOME does not receive anything back from the closing agent; sometimes we receive the signed application but no payment; and sometimes we receive payment without the signed application. In these cases, we are not able to validate coverage for your homeowner. Please keep in mind that the signed Application for Enrollment should be sent to HOME within 10 days of settlement.
Why is it so important to return the application signed? Signing the Application for Enrollment binds the signees to the terms of the Limited Warranty. Agreeing with the terms of the Limited Warranty means that everyone agrees to binding arbitration. Binding arbitration is a cost effective and efficient resolution process and is preferred by HOME to resolve disputes. Arbitration helps all parties avoid those expensive lawsuits that can eat into profits. HOME and its affiliates are always looking out for the best interests of our builder/members. It is critical that you provide HOME with the settlement date as well as the full final sales price of the home.
As the builder you can monitor the progress of your enrollments by running reports on Warranty Express. By going to the “Reports” tab you can see your “Open” enrollments as well as the “Closed” ones. The Open enrollments represent those homes that have not been finalized, so they are missing something. You can always call us if you have questions, and you can request an open enrollment report. We are happy to assist. HOME is developing improvements to our website to alert you of open enrollments. You should be able to see these upgrades soon.
If the homeowner’s email address is provided, they will be sent an email once the warranty is finalized with instruction on how to secure a copy of their confirmation page and warranty book.
I hope that this provides you with a better understanding of this important document. Please call HOME at 800-445-8173 with any questions.
*Not applicable for National Accounts.
By Ron Sweigert, Manager - Member Services Department
