In Ontario, home inspectors have no formal regulation. They are often people who used to work in the construction industry – plumbers, electricians, or even building inspectors – but while there is an association of home inspectors, they have not been not formally overseen by the province.
That appears to be about to change, however. The Ontario government has announced plans to introduce legislation aimed to regulate home inspectors in the province. Ultimately, the goal is to have a formal definition of a home inspector, and to have all licensed home inspectors pass both a written and a field test. It will create a minimal standard so that prospective home owners will know the qualifications of the person they are relying on to find defects in their potential homes.
I always recommend home inspections to my clients. It’s nice to see that the province is stepping up to ensure that home inspections will all be done to a minimum standard going forward.
