British Columbia has a number of special legal and regulatory requirements that homeowners should be aware of.

The Province's Homeowner Protection Act, administered by the Homeowner Protection Office requires licensing of builders and places requirements on owner/builders who construct their own homes. The HPO also publishes useful fact sheet on B.C.'s Builders Lien Act.

When B.C. homeowners hire an individual or business to work in or around their home on a full-time, part-time or casual basis they are considered a 'residential employer'. As an employer, you may be required to register with the Workers' Compensation Program of British Columbia. Failure to register can result in financial liability should a worker be injured while working on your home.

In B.C., consumer services are provided by the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. For Ministry information and advice on how to deal with consumer problems, click HERE.

For a general list of British Columbia laws that may apply to your home construction, renovation or repair project, click HERE.

The Homeowner Protection Office (HPO) is a provincial Crown corporation created under the province's Homeowner Protection Act to strengthen consumer protection for buyers of new homes and to improve the quality of residential construction in the province.

The HPO is responsible for:

• residential builder licensing and establishing the framework for and monitoring the provision of mandatory third-party home warranty insurance
  
• administering a no-interest repair loan program and PST Relief Grant for owners of leaky homes, and
  
• a research and education function designed to benefit the residential construction industry and consumers.

Under B.C.'s Homeowner Protection Act, a builder licensing system has been established by the HPO. Provincial licensing is required for the following categories of builder:

Licensed Residential Builder

All residential builders who engage in, arrange for, or manage all or substantially all of the construction of a new home in B.C. must be a Licensed Residential Builders and must provide home warranty insurance.

Licensed Building Envelope Renovator

All building envelope renovators who engage in, arrange for, or manage a building envelope renovation in B.C. must be licensed as a building envelope renovator and must provide the applicable warranty insurance on the building envelope renovation.

For a listing of licensed builders in B.C., click HERE.

In B.C., when you hire an individual or business to work in or around your home on a full-time, part-time or casual basis you are considered a 'residential employer'. As an employer, you may be required to register with the Workers' Compensation Program of British Columbia (WCB-BC). For more information on how WCB-BC works, and on how to register with WCB-BC click HERE.

If you are building a new home for yourself and take on the role of a general contractor in the construction of your own home, you are required to register, even if the subcontractors you hire carry their own WCB-BC registration. If you are hiring contractors or subcontractors for home renovations or repairs you may also need to register. To be sure, contact the WCB-BC Employer Service Centre.

Remember, even if you hire subcontractors who carry their own coverage, you should ask to see their WCB account number. Homeowners can verify that contractors are registered with the WCB-BC on-line at the WCB-BC clearance letter service.