Workmanship warranty: what to offer on repair jobs

A workmanship warranty is your written promise that if a repair fails because of how you did it, you'll come back and fix it at no charge. On rental jobs, that promise gets tested months later. The tenant reports the same leak, the owner calls you, and nobody remembers exactly what you agreed. Written terms let you and the owner check who pays in a few minutes, before the call turns into an argument.

This guide is for plumbers, electricians, HVAC techs and other maintenance pros who work on rentals for owners and property managers.

Why a workmanship warranty matters on rental jobs

Owners compare more than prices. When two estimates are close, the one that says how long the work is covered can look like the safer choice. A clear warranty tells the owner you'll stand behind the job after you've been paid.

A rental job also involves more people. The tenant lives with the repair, the owner or a manager pays for it, and another pro may work in the same spot later. When something fails, each of them may remember the job differently, and written terms give everyone the same starting point.

Why warranty callbacks turn into arguments

Callback disputes usually start with gaps nobody noticed at the time of the job:

• No length was written down. You meant 90 days; the owner understood a year.
• "Warranty" meant different things. You meant your labor; the owner assumed parts, labor and any damage.
• Someone else touched the work. The tenant tightened a fitting, or another pro worked under the same sink.
• The new problem has a different cause. The leak is a few inches from your repair, on a pipe you never touched.
• The scope changed by phone. Extra work was agreed in a call, and now nobody is sure what was done.
• The photos are gone. Nobody can show how the work looked on the day you finished.

You can close all six on the estimate and the invoice.

What a workmanship warranty covers and what it leaves out

A workmanship warranty covers defects in your labor: a joint you made that starts leaking, a connection that works loose, a fixture installed against the manufacturer's instructions. It doesn't cover everything that can go wrong in the same room.

Parts usually carry the manufacturer's warranty, not yours. Say how long that is, whether you'll handle the claim with the supplier, and whether your labor to swap a failed part is included.

Common exclusions to write down:

• damage from misuse, accidents, storms, floods or power surges;
• failures caused by someone else's work after you finished;
• defects in parts the client bought (your labor installing them stays covered);
• normal wear, such as washers and filters that need replacing;
• parts of the system you didn't work on;
• problems you pointed out that the owner chose not to fix, noted on the estimate.

Be careful with damage caused by a failure, such as water stains on a ceiling below a leak. Whether you're responsible for it depends on the facts, your contract and the law where you work. Your insurance may cover some of that or none of it, so check with your insurer before you promise anything.

The law may already give the client rights. In many places, consumer protection laws or implied warranties apply to services whatever your paperwork says, and an exclusion can't always take those rights away. In the US they vary by state; Mexico and Brazil have their own consumer codes. Your written warranty usually adds to those rights. Check the rules where you work before you choose your terms.

How long to offer a workmanship warranty

There's no single right length; pros offer anything from a few months to a year or more. Weigh:

• The kind of job. A small repair on an old system has more ways to fail for reasons outside your work than a new installation you did from start to finish.
• How much you control. If the client chose the parts or the rest of the system is in poor shape, a shorter term is fair. Say why on the estimate.
• The parts' warranty. Covering your labor for as long as the parts are covered keeps the story simple.
• What other pros near you offer. Look at their estimates, websites and profiles.
• Any legal minimum where you work.

Pick a term you can honor: a callback in month eleven still needs you to show up.

For temporary fixes, say so in writing: "Temporary repair until the part arrives, no warranty" or "30 days on this temporary repair."

What to put on the estimate and the invoice

The warranty belongs on both documents, with the same words. If you use our repair estimate template, this replaces its one-line warranty field. Include:

1. Length and start date. Counted from the completion date, written as a date.
2. What's covered. Your labor on the work described in that estimate or invoice, at that address and unit.
3. Parts. The manufacturer's warranty, how long it lasts and who handles the claim.
4. Exclusions. The list above, cut down to what fits your trade.
5. How to make a claim. Who contacts you, how, and with what: photos and when the problem started.
6. What you'll do. Inspect within a set number of business days, then repair or redo covered work at no charge.
7. If it isn't covered. Say up front whether a visit for a problem that turns out not to be covered has a trip or diagnostic fee. For the repair, you send an estimate and wait for written approval.
8. Who can claim. Usually the owner or manager who hired you. Tenants report the problem through them, and the warranty stays with the property if the tenant moves out.

Warranty wording you can copy

Adjust the brackets for each job:

Workmanship warranty. For [12 months] from the completion date, [Business name] will repair at no charge any defect in our labor on the work described in [estimate or invoice number] for [address, unit]. Parts are covered by their manufacturer's warranty; we'll handle the claim and replace a covered part at no labor charge during the first [3 months]. This warranty doesn't cover damage from misuse, accidents or weather; failures caused by later work by others or by defects in parts supplied by the client (our labor installing them stays covered); normal wear; or parts of the system we didn't work on. To make a claim, contact [phone or email] with photos as soon as the problem appears. We'll inspect within [2 business days]. If the problem is covered, we'll fix it at no charge. If it isn't, a [trip fee of $X] applies, and we'll send an estimate and wait for written approval before doing any repair. This warranty doesn't limit rights the law gives you where the property is.

How to handle a warranty callback

When an owner or manager calls about a job you did, first ask whether anything is dangerous or still leaking. If so, they shut off the water or power, or call emergency services, before anyone discusses coverage. Then:

1. Ask for photos and dates: what happened, when it started, whether anyone else touched it.
2. Find the job's record: the estimate, the invoice and your photos from the day you finished. Our guide to before-and-after photos for repair jobs shows what to capture so this step takes minutes.
3. Inspect and photograph before you touch anything, so the owner can see what you found.
4. Compare what you see with the written terms: covered, not covered, or partly covered.
5. Tell the owner in writing, with the photos. If part of it isn't covered, explain why and send an estimate for that part.
6. Record the warranty repair: date, what you did and a zero-total invoice or a note on the original job.

An example (names are made up): in October you replaced the P-trap under the kitchen sink at Apt 4B, 18 Maple Street. In February the owner reports water in the cabinet. If the slip nut you installed is leaking, you tighten or replace it at no charge. If the water comes from the faucet's supply line, which you didn't touch, you send photos showing the dry trap and an estimate for the supply line.

How RentalThread will make it easier

With RentalThread, each job will keep its estimate, the owner's approval, your photos, materials and receipts in the repair's own thread. When a callback comes months later, you'll start from that record instead of searching old chats.

Approvals and extra work will be written in the same thread, so the scope you warranted is clear to everyone involved. The features planned for pros also include a job warranty and a public profile. See what's planned for maintenance pros.