Equipment warranty tracking means recording each asset's warranty terms (start date, term, what's covered, the conditions for keeping it valid, and how to claim) and checking them when a work order is triaged, before a vendor is sent. A warranty that hasn't expired can still be wasted if nobody checks it before paying for the repair.

A heat pump fails in a unit at one of your properties. It was installed four years ago. A technician diagnoses a failed part, replaces it, and the invoice is approved the same week.

A month later, someone finds the installation paperwork in a shared inbox. The part was still under warranty.

Nobody decided to pay for a covered repair. The work order simply had no way of knowing the warranty existed. That's the gap this article is about: not whether you own warranties, but whether anyone can see them at the moment it matters.

Warranty terms vary by manufacturer, product, model and jurisdiction, and change over time. The examples below come from manufacturers' published warranty documents at the time of writing (September 2026) and show how terms differ. Always read the warranty for the specific unit.

Where do warranties get lost?

Warranty coverage can leak away at four points, and each one needs a different fix.

The first two are record-keeping problems. The third is a workflow problem, and it's the point where missing coverage turns into a paid invoice.

What should a warranty register record? The five warranty facts

A warranty register doesn't need to be complicated. For every covered asset, it needs five facts. If any one is missing, you can't answer the question the technician needs answered: is this failure covered, and who do we call?

 Sources: Rheem limited warranty, Trane warranty and registration, Carrier warranty registration, GAF single-ply limited warranty. 

Two practical points follow from the table.

Record the start-date rule and every date it could depend on. Warranties don't all start the same way. Record the actual installation date, the purchase or invoice date where relevant, and the warranty's own rule for when coverage begins. Keep the supporting documents. Some warranties fall back to a date based on the manufacture date if you can't prove installation, and that fallback can shorten your coverage.

Record which party provides labor coverage, if anyone. A manufacturer warranty may cover parts only. Labor may come from the installing contractor's own workmanship warranty, a service agreement, or an extended warranty. Put each on the register separately.

Does it matter how the building is used?

It can.

 Some manufacturers publish separate warranties by type of installation. Goodman's warranty information page, for example, lists a separate Non-Owner Occupied Residence Warranty alongside its standard limited warranty. It also sets out state-by-state rules on whether coverage can depend on registration and whether it transfers when the property is sold. 

For property managers, that means the warranty you assume from the brochure may not be the one that applies to a rental unit or a building held by a company. Check which category your installation falls into and record the term that actually applies.

How does the dispatch-time warranty check work?

The check takes minutes if the register exists, and it's impossible if it doesn't. Build it into triage as a fixed step.

1. Identify the asset. Raise the work order against the specific piece of equipment, not just the unit or the property. Without that link, there's nothing to check.

2. Check the coverage window. Is the failed component still within its term, measured from the recorded start date?

3. Check the conditions. Was the product registered? Is the service history current, if the warranty requires maintenance? Has anyone modified it without approval?

4. Choose the route.

1. Record the decision. Note on the work order whether coverage was checked, what was found and which route was taken.

2. Open the claim and track it to closure. A claim that's filed but never followed up recovers nothing.

A warranty check should never delay a safety repair. The point is to stop routine work going out at full cost when it didn't need to, not to put a gate on emergencies.

How work orders move from request to completion is covered in our guide to the maintenance work order system. This check sits inside the triage stage described there.

How do you keep a warranty valid?

Whether a claim is paid can depend as much on whether the owner met the warranty's conditions as on whether the part failed. Three records answer that.

• Service history. Warranties commonly require equipment to be installed, operated and maintained according to the manufacturer's instructions. Rheem's, for example, conditions coverage on proper installation, operation and maintenance. Dated preventive maintenance records against the asset are your evidence. The annual preventive maintenance calendar for multifamily sets out what those visits usually cover.

• Who did the work. Some warranties exclude equipment that wasn't installed by a qualified professional in line with applicable codes. Keep the installer's details and license information on the asset record.

• Approvals for changes. This one catches building teams off guard. GAF's EverGuard roof guarantee requires the owner to perform regular inspections and maintenance, keep records of that work, and get GAF's prior written approval for modifications or additions to the roofing materials. A contractor who cuts in a new rooftop unit penetration without approval can put the roof guarantee at risk while fixing an HVAC problem. See our guide to how often to inspect the roof and building envelope.

Who files the claim, and what do they need?

The claim route varies by manufacturer and warranty. Some HVAC manufacturers direct owners to the installing contractor or dealer: Rheem's warranty, for example, tells owners to report failures to the installing contractor, who typically handles replacements through the manufacturer's distributor. Other warranties require the owner to give notice directly, as roofing manufacturers such as GAF do, in writing.

Whoever files, the claim usually needs:

• Model and serial number

• The installation date and the installation invoice

• Proof of registration, where registration applies

• Service records, where maintenance is a condition

• The technician's diagnosis, photos and, where required, the failed part

Then track the claim until money or parts come back: a replacement part, a credit, or reimbursement of labor where it's covered. Record the recovery against the asset. If you don't, the repair history will overstate what the equipment has cost you, and that feeds straight into repair-or-replace decisions. The HVAC repair or replace article covers that decision, and turning work-order history into a capital plan explains why clean cost records matter.

What about warranties on a new building?

On a new building, warranties arrive in bulk at handover, spread across subcontractors and manufacturers. Collecting them into one schedule belongs to the building handover process, and the contractor's obligation to fix defects in the first period belongs to running the defects liability period.

This article picks up where those end: the years after handover, when equipment is replaced one unit at a time, each with its own warranty, and each new warranty needs to go onto the register the day it's installed.

Are extended warranties and service contracts worth it?

Sometimes. The answer depends less on the salesperson's case than on your own records.

If the base warranty is parts-only and your failures have been mostly labor, labor coverage may be worth paying for. If your history shows little failure within the term, it may not. Either way, the answer comes from records you already have, provided they're attached to the asset.

The warranty audit you can run this month

• Pick one property and list the equipment installed or replaced in the last five years

• For each item, find the five warranty facts: start date, term by component, parts or labor, conditions, claim route

• Mark anything installed recently that should have been registered and wasn't

• Check whether any work orders on that equipment were paid in full while it was still under warranty

• Add a warranty check step to triage, with a time limit for non-urgent work

• Assign an owner for open claims and any notice requirements

Warranty coverage has already been paid for as part of the equipment's price. The work is making sure it's still visible years later, when a technician is standing in front of the failed unit and the work order is about to be approved.

That comes down to where the terms live. If they're attached to the equipment, and the equipment is attached to the work order, the check is a step in triage. If they're in a binder, it's a treasure hunt nobody has time for.

RIOO's utility and assets management keeps a centralized asset registry with equipment records, warranties, and service history tracking. Through service request and task management, teams create and prioritize work orders, assign technicians, schedule asset servicing and routine inspections, and see each asset's maintenance history. It all runs on one platform built on NetSuite, alongside property accounting.

Before the next busy season, pick the five newest pieces of equipment at one property and try to answer the five warranty facts for each from your system alone. Any you can't answer show where coverage is leaking.

Frequently asked questions

Q1. What is equipment warranty tracking?
Recording each asset's warranty terms (start date, term, what's covered, conditions and how to claim) against the equipment itself, then checking those terms when a work order is raised so covered repairs are claimed instead of paid for.

Q2. When does an equipment warranty start?
It depends on the warranty. Many start at installation. Some use the installation invoice date, fall back to a date based on the manufacture date if installation can't be proved, or start on the date the owner buys a new residence from the builder. Record the actual dates, the warranty's start-date rule, and the supporting invoices.

Q3. Do HVAC manufacturer warranties cover labor?
Not always. Trane's base and registered limited warranties cover parts but not the labor to repair them, and Rheem's excludes labor unless state law or a service agreement provides it. Labor may come from the installer's workmanship warranty, a service agreement or an extended warranty.

Q4. What happens if you don't register a product?
It depends on the warranty. Many start at installation. Some use the date on the installer's invoice, and fall back to a date based on the manufacture date if installation, or purchase in new construction, can't be proved. Record the actual dates, the warranty's start-date rule, and the supporting invoices. 

Q5. Can missed maintenance affect a warranty?
It can, if the warranty makes specified maintenance or operating conditions part of coverage. Many warranties require equipment to be installed, operated and maintained according to the manufacturer's instructions, and some roof guarantees require owners to inspect, maintain and keep records. Keep dated service records so you can show what was done and when.

Q6. Should you check warranty coverage before sending a technician?
Yes, for non-emergency work. A short check at triage decides whether the job goes to the installer or authorized service route, or to your usual vendor. For emergencies, make the situation safe first and keep the evidence for the claim.

Q7. Who files a warranty claim, the property manager or the contractor?
It varies by manufacturer and warranty. Some HVAC manufacturers, such as Rheem, direct owners to the installing contractor. Some roofing manufacturers require the owner to give written notice directly, within a set number of days of discovering a leak.

Q8. Are equipment warranties different for rental properties?
They can be. Some manufacturers publish separate warranties for non-owner-occupied residences, such as rentals, and some treat commercial installations differently. Check which warranty applies to your installation rather than assuming the standard residential one does.