The Homeowner Protection Office
The Homeowner Protection Office (HPO)Â is a branch of BC Housing, a provincial Crown agency under the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. Minister Rich Coleman is the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General and Minister Responsible for Housing
The HPO is responsible for:
- licensing residential builders and building envelope renovators province-wide
- administering owner builder authorizations, and
- carrying out research and education which benefits the residential construction industry and consumers.
As part of government’s review of Crown corporations, the Province transferred the administration of the Reconstruction Program to the Ministry of Finance effective April 1, 2010. HPO stopped accepting new applications for this program in July 2009. See the Ministry of Housing and Social Development Information Bulletin
As of June 30, 2010 the PST Relief Grant for owners of homes with completed building envelope repairs was terminated in conjunction with the introduction of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST).
The HPO serves buyers of new homes and people arranging for new homes to be built, homeowners (particularly owners of homes covered by home warranty insurance), developers, residential builders, building envelope renovators and ownerbuilders. In undertaking its activities the HPO also works closely with warranty providers, building officials, industry and related consumer associations, all levels of government, educational institutions, research organizations, architects, engineers, property managers, the legal community and the real estate community.
