Finding a legit contractor would be easier with a registry, says Home Builders' Association

With Newfoundland and Labrador in a housing crunch — and needing tens of thousands of new homes built in the next six years — one advocate is calling for a contractor and builder registry to ensure consumers are protected and construction is done well.

Alex Foster, executive officer of Newfoundland and Labrador's chapter of the Canadian Home Builders' Association, has been promoting the creation of a provincial registry since 2020.

"It adds a little bit of consumer protection for people. And we're hoping that it will help legitimize the industry a little bit more as well," Foster told CBC News.

For example, she said, if a consumer hires someone who isn't insured or registered with WorkplaceNL to work on their home and there's an accident, the consumer might be financially liable.

Foster said she wants people to be cognizant of who they're hiring and their credentials, which a registry could help achieve.

The registry Foster is proposing would be similar to one in British Columbia, she said, which requires people to get training in order to be licensed to build and renovate homes.

Foster said her association has approached the provincial government with the proposed registry. She's interested in helping with the registry by offering education and training for contractors, she added.

She also pointed out the government brought in a temporary registry program in 2020 through its residential construction rebate program, which required homeowners to use a registered contractor with general liability insurance.

"So it shows that there's a willingness there to do that," said Foster.

She said the proposal is currently before the government and she hasn't heard back on its status.

Service N.L. declined an interview request. Spokesperson Gina MacArthur said no one was available.

Need for housing

Foster said the registry fits into the province's pressing need for new housing construction, noting that a recent Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation report says N.L. needs to build 60,000 new homes by 2030 on top of what the province is already building.

"Right now we are in a housing crisis. We need a lot more homes built," she said.

With more people starting construction projects, she said, association members have gotten increasingly busy — but that is also leading to problems.

"What we're seeing now is during the housing crisis that there are a lot of people who are finding that a lot of the reputable builders and contractors are booked up. So they're going to somebody who might do it a little bit cheaper."

While some of those chapter contractors might be legitimate, she said, there are some people offering their services who don't have insurance and aren't registered with WorkplaceNL.

"When you're going to the underground economy, a lot of the time you aren't actually saving anything and you're actually taking on a huge risk," said Foster.

"We just wanted to make sure people are aware of what can happen when you use somebody who doesn't have the credentials that they should have."

Foster recommended consumers visit the Canadian Home Builders' Association website, where they can post a project, including the budget, to get bids from association members. That way, consumers know contractors are up to date on their warranty and licence, she said.

"That gives you that little additional piece of knowing that you're protected," she said.

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