In these cases, homebuyers are not protected with valid home warranty insurance, and unfair competition harms legitimate builders who meet the Homeowner Protection Act's licensing and warranty insurance requirements. Home-building is a profession, not a hobby. Increased enforcement of the Homeowner Protection Act provincewide will help establish a level playing-field for licensed residential builders. Some builders ignore trades qualifications regulations, WCB requirements and other rules that apply to professional, licensed builders. This results in homes that are of poor quality and workers who are not properly trained and protected against workplace accidents.
Compliance officers monitor the owner-builder exemption.
They make sure that proper licensing and warranty insurance are in place, and that compulsory trades are used when required. But it will greatly reduce the illegal home-building that undermines protection created for homebuyers and workers. The cost of added enforcement is expected to be offset by fees from more licenses, fines for non-compliance, and taxes collected on residential construction that otherwise would have been part of the underground economy.