When the inspection period (tkufat bedek) ends, residents of new apartments are entitled to 3 more years of warranty, added on top of each inspection period, whatever its type. The big difference is the burden of proof.
During the inspection period the contractor bears full responsibility under the law; during the warranty period the burden of proof is on the resident. In other words, the residents now have to prove that the defect they are complaining about is the contractor's responsibility and was not caused by, for example, their own unreasonable use of the apartment, neglect of the apartment and its components, or poor maintenance, as the contractor can be expected to argue.
It follows that a resident's ability to demand and obtain repair or compensation for a construction defect is incomparably stronger during the inspection period than during the additional warranty period.
The engineers of Arad Bedek Bayit, led by building engineer Ron Arad, whom courts appoint as their own expert on construction defects. The company has been inspecting apartments and buildings since 2001. Engineer Ron Arad · More about the company