Buying an Owner-Built Home: Are You Protected?

Find out how the B.C. government's Homeowner Protection Office administers and monitors Owner Builder Authorizations to protect consumers and ensure a level playing field for Licensed Residential Builders.

New Regulatory Bulletins From Homeowner Protection Office

New Regulatory Bulletins Now Available

The new Regulatory Bulletin series, produced by the Homeowner Protection Office (HPO), helps Licensed Residential Builders and others to better understand and interpret the Homeowner Protection Act and its regulations.

These bulletins provide helpful information on a range of topics:
How to Become a Licensed Residential Builder
How to Become a Licensed Building Envelope Renovator
2-5-10 Year Home Warranty Insurance
Information Bulletin for Owner Builders
Buying or Selling an Owner-built Home
Substantially Reconstructed Homes and the Homeowner Protection Act
Heritage Buildings and the Homeowner Protection Act
Registering and Enrolling New Homes for Home Warranty Insurance Coverage
Working with Your Warranty Provider During and After Construction
De-enrolling Homes from Home Warranty Insurance and the Homeowner Protection Act
View the Regulatory Bulletins.

Stuff You Should Know When You Buy a New or Used Home

Home Buyers Info
For those buying a new or re-sale home, the Homeowner Protection Office offers consumer protection information to assist British Columbia homebuyers in making more informed purchasing decisions.

• Buying a New Home
• Buying a Previously-Owned Home
• New Homes Registry

New Homes Registry

The New Homes Registry provides prospective home buyers with information that will help make more-informed decisions when buying a new home.
It’s a useful resource for homebuyers, realtors, lawyers, local governments, and others interested in quickly checking the status of a new home or a new home under construction.
Use it to find out if a new home or new home under construction has a policy of home warranty insurance and is built by a Licensed Residential Builder. You can search for single detached homes and multi-unit (including duplex) buildings.
If the home does not have home warranty insurance it may have been built under an Owner Builder Authorization, or it may be exempt because it is a rental building. This information is also available on the Registry.
The New Homes Registry can be searched using the civic address or legal description. Only homes registered with the HPO since November 19, 2007 are searchable on this registry. If you cannot find the home you are looking for or if you are seeking information on a home registered after July 1999 and before November 19, 2007, please call the HPO toll-free at 1-800-407-7757 for assistance.
See an animated New Homes Registry demonstration - English, Punjabi or Cantonese version

Resources Available

The Homeowner Protection Office has a variety of information to assist homebuyers in their purchasing decisions.

• New Homes Registry
• Public Registry of Licensed Residential Builders and Building Envelope Renovators
• Buying a Home in British Columbia: A Consumer Protection Guide provides practical information to help consumers in B.C. make informed decisions about their home purchases.
• Guide to Home Warranty Insurance in British Columbia provides prospective new home buyers and owners of new homes with information on home warranty insurance in B.C.
• B.C.’s superintendent of real estate issued a bulletin in August 2007 about the risks associated with purchasing pre-sale residential units.
• Regulatory Bulletin 3: 2-5-10 Year Home Warranty Insurance
• Consumer Protection for Buyers of New Homes bulletin
• If you’re planning on hiring a contractor to do construction, renovation or repair work on your home, the Get it in Writing website provides information that will help you.
• Regulatory Bulletin 4: Information Bulletin for Owner Builders
• Highlights Homeowner Protection Act Regulations for Licensing and Mandatory Third-Party Home Warranty Insurance for Building Envelope Renovations in British Columbia
• List of Home Warranty Insurance Providers
• Homeowner Protection Act (Act)
• Homeowner Protection Act regulations for new home construction
• Homeowner Protection Act regulations for building envelope renovations
• Other publications