Gentry Home Builders stands by Municipal Affairs Minister Shaye Anderson's Builder License Program

Reid Construction owner (pictured far right), stands amongst several other delegates in the home building industry as Municipal Affairs Minister Shaye Anderson speaks to the media.

Municipal Affairs Minister Shaye Anderson made an announcement that will have a significant impact on all sectors of the home construction industry, including home builders and home buyers alike. As a reputable home builder, Gentry Home Builders owner Vince Reid was asked to sit in on the event.

"It is with great pride that I stand here with this coalition of Alberta builders, home sellers, home owners, tradespeople and government officials to introduce Builder Licensing," stated Anderson, who introduced Bill 12, the New Home Buyer Protection Amendment Act, to the Legislature today.

Gentry Home Builders has been openly supportive of this program when the idea was made public earlier this year. The province held focus groups with various parties involved in the home-building process, including homeowners, builders, engineers and municipalities, in hopes of receiving feedback from all facets of the industry. An open online survey was put forth for the public to provide their feedback, which closed March 14.

Vince Reid and Municipal Affairs Minister Shaye Anderson

In today's media event, Anderson went on to say, "For most Albertans, buying a new home is the single biggest purchase and investment that they're going to make in their lives. It's an investment in their family, in their kids and in their future. It's one of the most critical decisions that Albertans can make. But when Albertans make that investment, they deserve the ability to make an informed decision and they deserve to feel secure in the knowledge that they are protected."

Reid stands firmly behind this concept. "I have seen time and time again consumers getting taken advantage of by home builders with bad credentials," stated Vince. "Homeowners are left with extraordinary bills and a consequential mess to clean up. Then it's up to us to repair the damages left behind by someone else's negligence.

"Our province would benefit greatly from a Builder Licensing Program. As a company, we have worked hard to establish an excellent reputation with our clients. We would be proud to have that accreditation available for anyone to see and give our clients the confidence that they're hiring a reputable and trustworthy company."

The licensing program would mean an online registry of licensed and fully qualified builders in the province would be available for consumers to track. It would also provide the provisions to remove or suspend bad builders in order to protect people from negligent or scrupulous businesses.

Anderson continued, "Right now in Alberta, anyone can call themselves a builder and offer their services in home construction, even if they have documented history in fraud, building deficiencies, or no credentials."

Currently, 75 percent of Canadians enjoy the benefits and protections of a licensing system. Not having one means Albertans have less consumer protection than the majority of Canadians.

"But what would make our licensing framework unique in Canada is the integration with our home warranty program. Through this integration, we would create a system of checks and balances that protect consumers from falling through the cracks and promotes the builders like those here today with great track records. Alberta licensing will offer new home buyers proactive protection when looking to build a new home. The New Home Warranty program will continue to protect new homeowners after they move in."

 The government plans to phase the program over six months. If Bill 12 is passed, Builders will need licenses by spring 2018.