Alberta joins BC in regulating home inspectors

As of September 1, Alberta will become the second province to ensure all home inspectors are licensed and all homeowners who use them are protected. Home inspectors will be required to successfully complete a provincially-approved training program, as well as pass a test inspection.
If you’ve ever watched the show Holmes on Homes, a home renovation show where the majority of troubled homeowners run into problems due to the oversight of a less-than-stellar home inspector it’s a wonder that Alberta is only the second province to enforce these measures. The majority of provinces have associations that offer their own certification and education, but participation is completely voluntary.
B.C. became the first province to licence home inspectors back in 2009. At that time, the government set out to better serve homeowners by assessing the qualifications of, and requiring mandatory licences for, home inspectors; receiving and responding to complaints; and monitoring compliance through inspections and enforcement, with penalties of up to $5,000.
Alberta will take its enforcement a step further by investigating all complaints, and fining businesses in violation of the new rules by as much as $100,000 and/or two years in jail.
There have been rumours that Quebec may be the next province to regulate home inspectors, but no word yet on when that will happen or when other provinces might follow suit.

-Axiom Mortgage Partners

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