N.Y. General Business Law 777-A – Housing merchant implied warranty
§ 777-a. Housing merchant implied warranty. 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 251 of the real property law, a housing merchant implied warranty is implied in the contract or agreement for the sale of a new home and shall survive the passing of title. A housing merchant implied warranty shall mean that:
Terms Used In N.Y. General Business Law 777-A
- Builder: means any person, corporation, partnership or other entity contracting with an owner for the construction or sale of a new home. See N.Y. General Business Law 777
- Constructed in a skillful manner: means that workmanship and materials meet or exceed the specific standards of the applicable building code. See N.Y. General Business Law 777
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
- home: means any single family house or for-sale unit in a multi-unit residential structure of five stories or less in which title to the individual units is transferred to owners under a condominium or cooperative regime. See N.Y. General Business Law 777
- Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. Source: FDIC
- Owner: means the first person to whom the home is sold and, during the unexpired portion of the warranty period, each successor in title to the home and any mortgagee in possession. See N.Y. General Business Law 777
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- Uniform Commercial Code: A set of statutes enacted by the various states to provide consistency among the states' commercial laws. It includes negotiable instruments, sales, stock transfers, trust and warehouse receipts, and bills of lading. Source: OCC
- Warranty date: means the date of the passing of title to the first owner for occupancy by such owner or such owner's family as a residence, or the date of first occupancy of the home as a residence, whichever first occurs. See N.Y. General Business Law 777
a. one year from and after the warranty date the home will be free from defects due to a failure to have been constructed in a skillful manner;
b. two years from and after the warranty date the plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling and ventilation systems of the home will be free from defects due to a failure by the builder to have installed such systems in a skillful manner; and
c. six years from and after the warranty date the home will be free from material defects.
2. Unless the contract or agreement by its terms clearly evidences a different intention of the seller, a housing merchant implied warranty does not extend to:
a. any defect that does not constitute (i) defective workmanship by the builder or by an agent, employee or subcontractor of the builder, (ii) defective materials supplied by the builder or by an agent, employee or subcontractor of the builder, or (iii) defective design provided by a design professional retained exclusively by the builder; or
b. any patent defect which an examination ought in the circumstances to have revealed, when the buyer before taking title or accepting construction as complete has examined the home as fully as the buyer desired, or has refused to examine the home.
3. In the case of goods sold incidentally with or included in the sale of the new home, such as stoves, refrigerators, freezers, room air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers, a housing merchant implied warranty shall mean that such goods shall be free from defects due to failure by the builder or any agent, employee or subcontractor of the builder to have installed such systems in a skillful manner. Merchantability, fitness and all other implied warranties with respect to goods shall be governed by part three of article two of the uniform commercial code and other applicable statutes.
4. a. Written notice of a warranty claim for breach of a housing merchant implied warranty must be received by the builder prior to the commencement of any action under paragraph b of this subdivision and no later than thirty days after the expiration of the applicable warranty period, as described in subdivision one of this section. The owner and occupant of the home shall afford the builder reasonable opportunity to inspect, test and repair the portion of the home to which the warranty claim relates.
b. An action for damages or other relief caused by the breach of a housing merchant implied warranty may be commenced prior to the expiration of one year after the applicable warranty period, as described in subdivision one of this section, or within four years after the warranty date, whichever is later. In addition to the foregoing, if the builder makes repairs in response to a warranty claim under paragraph a of this subdivision, an action with respect to such claim may be commenced within one year after the last date on which such repairs are performed. The measure of damages shall be the reasonable cost of repair or replacement and property damage to the home proximately caused by the breach of warranty, not to exceed the replacement cost of the home exclusive of the value of the land, unless the court finds that, under the circumstances, the diminution in value of the home caused by the defect is a more equitable measure of damages.
c. In addition to any other period for the commencement of an action permitted by law, an action for contribution or indemnification may be commenced at any time prior to the expiration of one year after the entry of judgment in an action for damages under paragraph b of this subdivision.
5. Except as otherwise provided in section seven hundred seventy-seven-b of this article, any provision of a contract or agreement for the sale of a new home which excludes or modifies a housing merchant implied warranty shall be void as contrary to public policy.
6. Except as otherwise provided in section seven hundred seventy-seven-b of this article, other implied warranties may arise from the terms of the contract or agreement or from course of dealing or usage of trade.