Until December 31, 2014, the mandatory warranty plan was administered by various organizations associated with the builders' associations, namely The APCHQ's New Home Warranty, The Abritât Guarantee Inc. and Qualité Habitation. In order to eliminate any appearance of conflict of interest, the Regulation respecting the guarantee plan for new residential buildings has been amended. Thus, the government constituted a regulatory framework allowing the creation of a new single joint body in this area, which would be made up, in part, of as many consumer representatives as manufacturers.
Residential Construction Guarantee (GCR)
Since January 1, 2015, only one non-profit organization has been authorized by the Régie du Bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) to administer a guarantee plan in accordance with the Regulation respecting the guarantee plan for new residential buildings, namely the Garantie de construction résidentielle (GCR). Its Board of Directors has 13 members. The RBQ appoints seven. The latter themselves designate the other six, of which 3 are identified with associations of construction contractors representing general contractors working in the new residential sector and 3 are identified with consumer associations, at least one of which represents consumers in the co-ownership sector.
Mission
The GCR's main mission is to protect the interests of buyers, to reduce the rate of claims by focusing on residential construction of increased quality, and to ensure sound risk management of the coverage offered. This organization registers only the buildings that are covered by the guarantee plan for new residential buildings, namely a single-family, isolated, semi-detached or townhouse, a plex of up to five dwellings or a co-ownership building of not more than four superimposed units, without taking into account (in the calculation of these four parts) the parking or storage units.
Directory of accredited companies
In June 2020, GCR put online a Accredited Business Directory. This directory presents non-conformities found during site inspections, recognized complaints from consumers and arbitration decisions, to name but a few. Thus, potential buyers will have a much better idea of the company they are doing business with, in order to avoid being possibly victims of a bad purchase with all the hassle that comes with it. By consulting this directory the future buyer will obtain the list of all buildings built or started by the company that meet these criteria and are registered with GCR.
Inspections
In terms of inspection, GCR is required to comply with a policy developed by the RBQ. An inspection program (approved by the RBQ and implemented by GCR) covers the various stages leading to the construction of a building and taking into account, in particular, the experience of the contractors, the nature of the construction projects and the categories of buildings concerned. For this reason, GCR inspectors, who are professional architects, engineers or professionnal technologists, all members of a professional order, carry out on-site inspections. The non-conformities they detect are listed and classified by severity level. In cases of non-conformities, corrective measures are required from the contractor with proof that the work has been carried out. By having this information in hand, the consumer will know better whether or not he can trust the entrepreneur.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW! Garantie de construction résidentielle (GCR) is mandated to administer the Guarantee Plan for New Residential Buildings for all of Quebec and to ensure the protection of buyers. GCR has also set itself the mission of improving the quality of residential construction in Quebec by developing a risk management strategy focused on prevention.
WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND: GCR's Accredited Businesses Directory is a tool available to consumers so that they can make an informed choice about their construction contractor. The directory is unique and allows you to know if your contractor is accredited and if your project is registered with GCR.
WARNING! The mission of the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) is to develop policies designed to avoid any conflict, real or apparent, between the construction community and the administration of the guarantee plan. In this regard, the RBQ has sanctioning powers for cases where the director fails to meet his obligations.
Back to the mega-sheet Residential guarantee plan for new residential buildings (mandatory)
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