You closed on a new build in Fishers this spring, and now the dishwasher won't start. In Indiana, the builder warranty usually doesn't cover the appliances in a new home. Builders here may give you the state's written warranties, but they don't have to. Even when they do, the two-year warranty on the home's systems leaves out appliances.
That usually leaves your fridge, range and dishwasher with each maker's own warranty, so write down each model and serial number now, while the papers that came with them are still easy to find.
That stings in a house this new. The good news: while the warranty runs, the maker usually pays for the fix.
Here's who to call first, by what went wrong:
- The fridge, range, dishwasher, washer or dryer broke: the appliance maker, under its own warranty.
- A leak or fault from how the plumbing, wiring, heating, cooling or vents were put in, within 2 years: your builder, if it gave you the state's warranties. Check your contract.
- The roof, within 4 years: your builder, if it gave you the state's warranties.
- A major structural defect, within 10 years: your builder, if it gave you the state's warranties.
- An appliance that was put in wrong: read your builder's written warranty. The law doesn't spell this one out.
No state warranties in your contract? Your builder may still owe you under the promises the law implies. We explain those below.
What warranties do new construction homes come with?
In Indiana, the written ones are the ones your builder chooses to give. The law lists four warranties a builder "may" give the first buyer, and the part about the home's systems, in Indiana Code 32-27-2-8, is where appliances drop out.
"May" means the builder gets to choose. If it does give this warranty, it covers how the pipes, wiring, heat, cooling and vents were put in, but it leaves out "fixtures, appliances, or items of equipment."
Read the exact wording
In selling a completed new home, and in contracting to sell a new home to be completed, the builder may warrant to the initial home buyer the following: … (2) During the two (2) year period beginning on the warranty date, the new home will be free from defects caused by faulty installation of: (A) plumbing; (B) electrical; (C) heating; (D) cooling; or (E) ventilating; systems, exclusive of fixtures, appliances, or items of equipment.
The four warranties the law lists
- 2 years: no defects from poor work or bad materials.
- 2 years: no defects from how the plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling and vent systems were put in. Appliances are left out.
- 4 years: the roof.
- 10 years: major structural defects.
Where appliances fall
The appliance carve-out sits in the systems warranty. The law doesn't spell out how the 2-year warranty on work and materials treats appliances.
Your builder's own warranty may answer it. Read it, and look for the word "appliances."
If you bought from the first owner
These warranties stay with the home if it's sold. Under Indiana Code 32-27-2-8, they survive the sale to a "home buyer," and Indiana Code 32-27-2-5 counts any owner before the warranties run out as one. If you bought a nearly new home from its first owner, ask what's left on them before you assume there's nothing. It's worth one email.
What are the requirements for a new home construction warranty in Indiana?
Indiana's new home warranty law doesn't make a builder give one. It's a choice. But the law does set strict terms for a builder who wants to drop the warranties the law implies.
Implied warranties are promises the law reads into a sale, even when no one writes them down. Under Indiana Code 32-27-2-9, a builder can drop them only if, among other terms:
- the state's warranties are written into your contract, and
- an insurance policy backs them, for at least the price of the home.
What to look for in your contract
Pull out your purchase contract. Check three things. Are the state's warranties written into it? Is an insurance policy backing them? Your papers may name it, and if they don't, ask your builder. And did you sign a separate one-page notice that starts with "NOTICE OF WAIVER OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES"?
If any of the three is missing, your builder may not have dropped the implied promises the way the law says. That's worth a call to a lawyer, who can tell you what those promises cover for your home.
Who fixes an appliance that breaks in a new home?
Most often the company that made it, under its own warranty. The builder's systems warranty leaves appliances out. If the appliance was put in wrong, check your builder's written warranty too. Either way, the best time to get ready is before anything breaks:
- Write down each model and serial number. Many recall notices list the model numbers they cover, so you can match yours. Check yours on the CPSC recall list.
- Ask your builder for the warranty papers. Ask for the date each appliance went in, too.
- Read each maker's warranty. Note how long it lasts and whether it says "full" or "limited."
- Find out how hard your water is. Hard water leaves scale inside new appliances too. Westfield's water is harder than Indianapolis's. Carmel softens its water, but its 2025 tests still came out hard on average. See how hard the water is in Indianapolis for your town.
A move-in sheet for your appliances
Fill this in once, on paper or on your phone, and you won't be digging through boxes when something quits. One line per appliance:
- Brand and model: from the label on the appliance.
- Serial number: from the same label.
- Date it went in: from your builder.
- Warranty length: and whether it says "full" or "limited."
- Where the papers are: a folder, a drawer or a photo on your phone.
If something's already broken
Same problem coming back? Let the brand fix it while the warranty runs. Under a full warranty, only repair tries by the brand, or the tech it sends, count toward a refund or a new one, or toward a new part if just one part keeps failing. Read is there a lemon law for appliances in Indiana for the steps.
If you'd rather not wait on the brand, a local repair won't void your warranty just because a local shop did it. But you'd pay for that visit yourself. If your warranty covers parts and labor, the brand's fix is free. We explain why the warranty still stands, and the two catches, in will a local repair shop void my appliance warranty.
Once the maker's warranty runs out, look for a free fix first. If the appliance was put in wrong, read your builder's written warranty. If your model is on the CPSC recall list, do what the recall says. It may offer a free repair, a new one or your money back. If neither fits, here's how a repair call through this site works.