Savvy home buyers are taking advantage of free access to the New Homes Registry to stay informed.
This helpful, easy-to-use online resource is available from the Homeowner Protection Office (HPO) website at hpo.bc.ca. Prospective home buyers are using the registry to make more informed purchasing decisions.
Home buyers, as well as realtors, lawyers, local governments, and others can quickly check the residential builder licensing and warranty status of a new home or a new home under construction.
The New Homes Registry provides free access to find out if a home has a policy of home warranty insurance and is built by a Licensed Residential Builder, or whether it is built without home warranty insurance. Home buyers can obtain valuable information such as the name and contact number of the warranty provider, the builder’s warranty number and whether an owner-built home can be legally offered for sale.
Every new home built for sale by a Licensed Residential Builder in British Columbia is protected by mandatory third-party home warranty insurance. Better known as 2-5-10 home warranty insurance, this coverage includes: two years on labour and materials, five years on the building envelope (including water penetration), and 10 years on the structure. It’s the strongest system of construction defect insurance in Canada.
The New Homes Registry allows home buyers to search online at their convenience for both single detached homes and multi-unit homes registered with the HPO after November 2007.
For free access to the New Homes Registry visit the Home buyers section of the HPO website at hpo.bc.ca/homebuyers.
