National Home Warranty Services
Privacy Policy

Our Mission

From our roots with a small group of builders in northern Alberta more than twenty years ago, National has grown steadily. Today, with offices in Edmonton, Vancouver, and Langley, we provide new home warranty products all across Western Canada.

The Importance of a Privacy Policy

As the administrator of a warranty “Program”, NHW is privy to a great deal of private information, and it is important to have a documented process for handling that information. NHW as an administrator must gather information about our Member Builders and the Homeowners that are provided warranties. Like the Member Builder, we value the Member Builder’s relationship with the Homeowner and must ensure that the information provided is handled with integrity. A large part of that integrity is establishing what information we will require from all parties, how this information will be handled, and how this information will be kept safe.

Collecting Personal Information

The Program collects personal information to serve multiple needs. “Personal Information” means any information about an identifiable individual that may be provided orally, electronically or in written form. It includes but is not limited to:

  • Homeowner contact and mailing information such as name, address, the municipal and legal description of the Residential Unit which has been constructed by the Member Builder for the Homeowner, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses;
  • Member Builder contact and mailing information such as the names of officers, directors, shareholders or other individuals related to the Builder and their contact information;
  • any information about a claim or dispute between the Homeowner and the Member Builder about the Residential Unit, including information provided during the course of alternate dispute resolution processes such as the conciliation, mediation and arbitration procedures of the Program or in any legal proceedings;
  • insurance information;
  • information from third party contractors and suppliers who provided work or services to the Homeowner or the Member Builder with respect to the Residential Unit;
  • financial and other information about the Member Builder or its officers, directors and shareholders received from the Member Builder, its officers, directors and shareholders or from third parties;
  • Other insurance underwriting information as required.

Using Personal Information

As part of our relationship with the Homeowner and the Member Builder the Program may collect, use and disclose personal information to:

  • identify the Homeowner;
  • understand Homeowner needs;
  • confirm Homeowner application information and assess your entitlement for warranty protection products and services or builder membership in the Program;
  • provide the Homeowner with ongoing services, establish and maintain communication and to respond to their inquiries;
  • investigate and determine the Homeowner’s claim and determine their eligibility for warranty protection coverage products and services;
  • meet legal and regulatory requirements;
  • create and maintain a responsible business relationship with respect to the Program insurer, the Homeowner and the Member Builder;
  • maintain an accurate history of the Residential Unit with respect to the provision of the Program’s warranty protection coverage and any work, materials or services provided to the Residential Unit;
  • maintain an accurate history of the Member Builder;
  • develop, improve, market or provide products and services to Homeowners and Member Builders;
  • understand needs and preferences. We may from time to time ask homeowners to participate in surveys that allow us to determine what you want from the Program’s products or services or the degree of satisfaction you have with the products or services provided by the Member Builder.

When Do We Share Personal Information

There are some circumstances where the Program may share some personal information about Homeowners with the Program insurer, Member Builder, third party contractors and suppliers including legal and engineering consultants. There are also some circumstances where the Program may share some personal information about the Member Builder with the Program insurer, Homeowners, third party contractors and suppliers including legal and engineering consultants. For example:

  • The Homeowner’s personal information may be shared among the Program insurer, Member Builder, contractors and suppliers as part of the assessment and claim procedures of the warranty protection coverage provided by the Program;
  • The Homeowner’s personal information may be disclosed to an organization or individual retained by the Program to perform functions on our behalf such as legal or engineering consulting, assessing the condition of the Residential Unit or providing remedial work for the Residential Unit. Any such disclosure of personal information from the Program is done on a confidential basis and only for the purpose for which it was shared;
  • We may disclose personal information to a government agency, court, mediator, arbitrator or lawyer involved in dealing with any request for assistance or claim a Homeowner or Member Builder may have with respect to warranty protection coverage provided by the Program or anything in relation to the Residential Unit and the Member Builder;
  • We may disclose personal information to a public authority or agent of a public authority, if in our reasonable judgment, it appears that there is imminent danger to life or property which could be avoided or minimized by disclosure of the personal information;
  • We may disclose personal information if required to do so by law;
  • We may disclose personal information to municipal authorities and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation for statistical purposes;
  • If the residential Unit has been transferred to a new owner before the expiration of Program warranty protection coverage applicable to the Residential Unit, then if the new owner makes a request to the Program for assistance or claim for warranty protection coverage with respect to the Residential Unit, the Program is authorized by the Purchaser to release personal information, to the extent reasonably required by the Program, to process the request for assistance or claim of the new owner of the Residential Unit.

Consent

The Program will obtain the consent of the Homeowner and Member Builder with respect to the collection use and disclosure of personal information.

Safeguarding Personal Information

  • The Program will not collect, use or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than those identified above, except with your consent;
  • The Program will protect the confidentiality of your personal information when doing business internally or externally with other organizations;
  • The Program will protect your personal information with appropriate and effective security safeguards;
    The Program will strive to keep your personal information as accurate and up to date as is necessary for the purposes identified above and will correct any errors or omissions if necessary;
  • The Program will only retain your personal information for as long as is reasonable for the purposes identified above or as may be required by law.

Accessing Personal Information

The Program provides individuals with the opportunity to access their personal information that is held by the Program, subject to exceptions permitted by law. If you require further information, please contact the Program’s Privacy Officer at:

200-8621 201 Street – Langley, British Columbia – V2Y 0G9
Toll Free: 1-888-243-8807
Langley: 604-455-9155
Fax: 604-455-9156
E-mail:
NHWPolicies@nhwg.ca

*A nominal fee may be charged based on the volume of information requested.

Evolving Practices

This Policy is in effect as of October 7, 2004. The Program will, from time to time, review and revise its privacy practices and this Policy. In the event of any amendment, a notice will be posted on our website (www.intellitive.website/nhwg_wp) or in the publications produced by the Program. Policy changes will apply to the information collected from the date of posting to the website.