(a)        Any warranty relating to fixtures to real property issued by a person is a contract of insurance, except the following:

(1)        A warranty made by a builder or seller of the real property;

(2)        A warranty providing for the repair or replacement of the items covered by the warranty for defective parts and mechanical failure or resulting from ordinary wear and tear, and excluding from its coverage damage from recognizable perils, such as fire, flood, and wind, that neither relate to any defect in the items covered nor result from ordinary wear and tear.

(b)        It is unlawful for any person to issue a warranty specified in subdivision (a)(2) of this section unless that person has posted a surety bond with the Secretary of State in the principal sum of not less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000). The bond must be issued by a surety company licensed to do business in this State and is subject to the approval of the Secretary of State. Any person to whom the warranty is issued may institute an action to recover against the warrantor and the surety bond for any breach of warranty.

(c)        Persons issuing real property warranties shall comply with the requirements of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 66-373 (1979, c. 773, s. 1; 1987, c. 864, s. 9; 1991, c. 644, s. 43; 2003-290, s. 1(a); 2007-95, s. 8.)

Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 58-1-20

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
  • property: shall include all property, both real and personal. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3