Great News
!
B.C. will become the first
province in
Canada
to license home inspectors to better protect buyers and ensure
qualified inspections, Solicitor General and Minister responsible
for consumers, John van Dongen announced on January 30. To date, home inspector
training has been voluntary. This leaves the home buyer in a
situation where they do not know if their home inspector is
qualified to do the job they were hired to do. Effective March 31,
the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority (BPCPA)
will help protect the buyer’s interests, by:
•
Assessing the qualifications of, and requiring mandatory
licenses for, home inspectors.
•
Receiving and responding to complaints from consumers.
•
Monitoring compliance through inspections and enforcement,
with penalties that can range as high as $5,000.
To become licensed, home
inspectors will need to meet the qualifications of either the
Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors – BC branch;
the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of British
Columbia; or the National Certification Program for Home and
Property Inspectors.
“While most inspectors are dedicated professionals, under the
current system, they may have little or no qualification, which can
create problems for legitimate real estate transactions,” said John
Winter, president and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce. “Requiring
inspectors to be licensed provides sellers and buyers with
confidence that all inspections will be carried out by a qualified
professional.”
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Power Smart Homes: Save Money & Help the
Environment
Even in hot weather, people can stay cool
with Power Smart homes. They will enjoy greater comfort, lower their
energy costs and leave a smaller footprint on the
environment.
In 2007, more than 1000 Power Smart Gold
homes were built in B.C. On average, each Power Smart Gold home
saved nearly $550 per year in energy costs and used 30 per cent less
energy than regular homes built in today’s
market.
A Power Smart Gold home has a minimum rating of EnerGuide 80,
which indicates it’s highly energy efficient. A rating of zero
represents a home with major air leakage, no insulation and
extremely high energy consumption. A rating of 100 represents a home
that is airtight, well insulated, sufficiently ventilated, and
doesn’t require any purchased energy.
When you are looking to purchase a new
home, consider asking for the EnerGuide rating and look for the
Power Smart label.
If just 10 percent of homes across
B.C. were Power Smart Gold homes—that is, if they achieved at least
an EnerGuide 80 rating—the
province would save more than $89 million a year in energy
costs.
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