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What Is a Warranty Period in Construction?

What is the warranty period, and when does it start?

The warranty period is the contractual window after substantial completion during which the contractor remains responsible for correcting workmanship issues; it starts at the substantial-completion date.

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What it is

The warranty period is the defined window after substantial completion when the contractor is still on the hook for fixing workmanship defects that show up. It is set by the contract, commonly a year for general workmanship, and it begins at the substantial-completion date. During this window, issues the customer reports come back as callbacks the contractor is obligated to correct.

Why it matters

The warranty period is a real, dated liability, not a vague promise. Knowing exactly when it starts and ends tells the contractor which projects they are still responsible for and when that responsibility ends. Get the start date wrong and the obligation either extends past what the contract requires or ends too early to be defensible. The period also frames the relationship: a contractor who handles warranty callbacks well earns the referral.

How it works

  1. Record substantial completion
    Capture the substantial-completion date, which starts the warranty clock.
  2. Track the warranty window
    Hold the project in a post-completion service state for the contractual warranty duration.
  3. Handle reported issues as callbacks
    Correct workmanship issues the customer reports during the window under the warranty obligation.
  4. Close out when the period ends
    When the warranty window closes, the active workmanship obligation for that project ends.

Common mistakes

Try
No clear start date
Reality
The warranty clock starts at substantial completion. Without a recorded milestone date, the start and end of the obligation are undefined.
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Treating warranty as open-ended
Reality
The period has a contractual end. Handling issues forever, past the obligation, is unbilled work the contract never required.
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Not separating warranty work from new work
Reality
Warranty callbacks and new paid work are different. Mixing them muddies both the obligation and the books.
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Losing the project history at handover
Reality
Warranty issues need the original project record. If the history goes cold at handover, every callback starts from scratch.

How Scaftra handles it

Scaftra's project lifecycle includes a distinct Warranty status for the post-completion service period, and the reactive service loop handles the callbacks that arrive during it. One honest note: automatic entry into the Warranty status on transition is planned, not yet built, so the status exists and renders but is set rather than auto-entered today. The warranty window frames the service requests, visits, and repeat-callback detection in the built service surface.

Scaftra holds completed projects in a distinct warranty state, so the dated obligation that frames every callback is tracked alongside the project, not carried in someone's head.

Frequently asked questions

When does the warranty period start?
At substantial completion. That milestone date begins the contractual window during which the contractor is responsible for correcting workmanship issues.
What is the difference between the warranty period and a callback?
The warranty period is the window of obligation. A callback is a specific return visit during that window to correct a reported issue.
Does Scaftra track the warranty period?
Yes. Scaftra has a distinct Warranty lifecycle status for the service period, with the service loop handling callbacks. Auto-entry into the status on transition is planned but not yet wired.

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