IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR BUILDERS, VENDORS, CONSUMERS, AND OTHER ONTARIO NEW HOME INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS

February 1st, 2021, The Ontario government established the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) to enhance the professionalism of the new home building industry in Ontario and to increase consumer protection.

 

The establishment of a separate regulator for new home builders and vendors will ensure that new home builders and vendors are held to professional standards and that all buyers and owners of new homes feel confident that their homes have been built properly.

 

The HCRA will help to ensure that new home buyers and owners are well-informed and better protected by:

• Licensing new home builders and vendors;
• Expanding the existing Ontario Builder Directory to provide regulatory compliance and warranty information about thousands of builders and vendors across the province; and
• Implementing a formal complaints process for the conduct of new home builders and vendors.

 

 

QUICK FACTS:

 

• The Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) regulates new home builders and vendors in Ontario.
• The HCRA is designated under the New Home Construction Licensing Act, 2017. The creation of the HCRA as a separate authority addresses consumer concerns about potential conflicts of interest within Tarion, Ontario’s new home warranty and protection program administrator.
• The Rebuilding Consumer Confidence Act, 2020, passed on July 14, 2020, promotes higher quality new home construction, which will reduce defects and new home warranty and protection claims while better-protecting consumers from bad actors in the marketplace.
• Tarion will administer Ontario’s new home warranty and protection program. Together, the HCRA and Tarion will provide more robust consumer protection for Ontarians.

 

 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

 

• Read Ontario’s Residential Condominium Buyers’ Guide.
• Find out about how Tarion protects new homeowners.
• Read the New Home Construction Licensing Act, 2017

Read the Rebuilding Consumer Confidence Act, 2020