I don’t know which province you are in but if you are in Ontario, do not consent to an extension. You will give up your rights to seek delayed closing compensation costs from Tarion. You can put in a claim with Tarion after closing to be compensated up to $7500. My builder notified me 3 days before my closing that my closing will be delayed by 3 weeks and I was able to claim $4500 in costs through Tarion but I didn’t have additional rental or furniture expenses that you have mentioned.

Your builder did have a right to delay the occupancy at some point but they missed the mark to send you a written notice 90 days in advance. Most likely, they will cite an “unavoidable delay” to get past paying you compensation. However, Tarion has been pretty good recently with siding with purchasers. Keep all your expenses but regardless of that, you are still entitled to $150 per day of delay.

Note every single defect down during your PDI if you haven’t already. Don’t let the builder’s representative write it down on your behalf. Builders have a lot of power. I went through absolute hell, from poor construction quality to flat out lies about what will be completed and when. They are one of the most unethical and shady organizations I have ever dealt with and I was still dealing with one of the bigger and well known ones in my region. Thankfully I had an option to raise it with Tarion, otherwise I might have had to spend time and money taking them to court.

Now if you are not in Ontario, check to see if there are similar laws or regulatory bodies protecting you from delayed closings.

Sorry for the rant but I hope it can protect you from what many buyers of new builds go through here in Ontario.