The Homeowner Protection Office (HPO) is working closely with B.C.’s residential construction industry as part of a collaborative process aimed at enhancing professionalism in the industry and developing a new system of qualifications for licensed residential builders.
Raising the Bar - A Collaborative Process
In follow-up to their discussion paper Raising the Bar - Enhancing Professionalism in British Columbia’s Residential Construction Industry the former Homeowner Protection Office Board of Directors implemented a collaborative process with the residential construction industry of British Columbia to develop a new system of qualifications for HPO licensees.
In 2003, the British Columbia government appointed a Board of Directors for the Homeowner Protection Office, including members representative of the building and development communities, consumers and the public interest. The government also requested that the HPO Board provide recommendations on the future of the HPO and the Homeowner Protection Act (Act).
These recommendations took the form of the Futures Report that was submitted to the Minister responsible for the Homeowner Protection Act in September of 2004. One of the major strategic thrusts identified in the Futures Report is “to bring about a further increase in the professionalism of the residential construction sector” in the context of improving consumer protection in the housing industry.
In his response to the Futures Report, the Minister noted the need to undertake additional consultation regarding a range of options to achieve the goal of professionalization, and he requested that HPO develop a discussion paper (Raising the Bar) - Enhancing Professionalism in British Columbia’s Residential Construction Industry the former Homeowner Protection Office. The paper was widely distributed and consultation with industry, the general public and other interested parties took place through the summer and fall of 2005.
Results of the consultation process confirmed support for increasing the professionalism of the residential construction industry through the implementation of measures to link licensing and competency of the licensee in a way that complements existing activities of the various industry associations and results in measurable, relevant knowledge in the business of home building for all licensees.
Following the consultation, the Board forwarded this recommendation to the Minister. The Board’s recommendations acknowledged that the vast majority of existing licensees perform well above any minimum standard and proposed to address the challenges that remain, stressing the importance of a collaborative process with industry to design the new arrangements.
The Minister expressed support for the Board’s recommendations, and identified the need for further information on the design of a minimum qualification system for builders. To do this, the former HPO Board of Directors implemented a collaborative process with the residential construction industry of British Columbia to develop a new system of qualifications for HPO licensees.
The Main Task Group Report to the Homeowner Protection Office - Results of a Collaborative Process to Design a Minimum Qualification System for Licenses Under the Homeowner Protection Act provides a summary of the issues discussed as part of the collaborative process and the consensus decisions reached.
