Turnover & closeout
Warranty walk (11-month)
A warranty walk is an inspection of the building near the end of the warranty period where the owner and contractor go through the completed work and log anything that has failed, settled, or drifted. It often falls around the eleventh month of a standard one-year term. The point is to catch and document defects while coverage is still active and the contractor is still on the hook. Whether such a walk is required, and its timing, follows the contract and the warranty terms.
Run it with the Photo Gate
Final inspection checklist for construction
15 items · 25 photos required
Why it matters
A year of use reveals what construction never could: seasonal movement, settling, seals that let go, and systems that behaved on test day but drift over months. The 11-month timing is deliberate: it leaves room to document items and get them corrected before the one-year workmanship warranty closes and the owner starts paying for repairs themselves.
How it shows up on site
The group walks the building much like a punch walk, flagging each defect with a location and enough detail to act on. The list drives warranty repairs, and each item is worth capturing with a photo and clear location so the claim is easy to verify and close before coverage lapses.
Common mistakes
Skipping the walk and finding the problems after the period closes. Logging items too late to fix them in time. Recording defects too vaguely to distinguish a warranty item from ordinary wear, which invites a dispute over who pays.
Checklists that put warranty walk (11-month) to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- Warranty periodThe defined span after completion during which the contractor is responsible for correcting defects in the work at no cost to the owner.
- Final walkthroughThe end-of-project walk where the owner and contractor inspect the completed work together and generate or verify the punch list.
- Punch list completionDriving every item on the punch list to closed and verified, so nothing remains before final completion.
- Final acceptanceThe owner's formal acknowledgment that the work is complete and accepted, closing out the contractor's obligations short of warranty.
- Owner trainingThe sessions where the contractor and vendors teach the owner's staff to operate and maintain the installed systems.
- Record documentsThe maintained set of drawings, specs, and submittals marked up to reflect how the project was actually built.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.
30-day trial · No card required