A quote posted on news.ontario.ca:
Yesterday, Mike spoke at George Brown College in Toronto, enthusiastically announcing his support for the proposed changes the Ontario government intends to make.
From Mike's Facebook Yesterday:
At George Brown College helping announce a new consumer protection initiative. Ontario will be consulting on mandatory qualifications for Home Inspectors! Now this is what I'm talking about!
Very happy to help Ontario step up to protect homeowners & strengthen the home inspection industry! http://bit.ly/W7S3G0
The Ontario government plans to make changes to the qualifications needed by home inspectors... to protect consumers.
Right now, only those registered with the Ontario Association of Homes Inspectors can call themselves "registered home inspectors".... but anyone can provide the service.
The province will be meeting with industry organizations to come up with a list of minimum qualifications to increase transparency and improve consistency.
One aspect they'll be looking at is a minimum level of training for home inspectors.
Liberal MPP David Orazietti is taking charge. He says buying a home is one of the biggest purchases people make, so to have a properly trained inspector is crucial.
He says if the inspector misses anything, that could have a big financial impact on the new home owner later on.
Mike Holmes is supporting the project, saying this has been a long time coming.
From CHCH.com
Monday, October 01, 2012
McGuinty Government to Consult on Minimum Qualifications for Home Inspectors LOCAL2 Staff for local2 sault ste. marie
"When you are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a home for you and your family, you want to know you’ve made a sound decision guided by a qualified and reliable home inspector. Today’s announcement is one of several we plan this fall to give Ontario consumers stronger rights and more choices." said Margarett Best Minister of Consumer Services this morning in Toronto.
Ontario is taking steps to help home buyers make informed choices and protect their investment when buying a home.
This fall, as part of a broader consumer protection initiative, the province will consult with home inspector associations, consumers, representatives from the real estate sector and other industry stakeholders on mandatory minimum qualifications for home inspectors.
Currently, anyone can offer home inspection services in Ontario, but only registered members of the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors can call themselves a registered home inspector. The province will work with industry partners to explore minimum qualifications that would aim to:
Increase transparency of the profession
Ensure a minimum standard of training
Improve consistency in home inspections
Enhance consumer protection.
"Raising the standards for home inspectors will help all home buyers as well as those selling their houses by creating a more level playing field where greater transparency helps inform one of the most important purchases of an individual's life." Sault MPP David Orazietti said.
"This has been a long time coming. BC and Alberta are already on it. Now it’s Ontario’s turn. And I want to see the rest of Canada get behind this and push for higher standards. Homeowners should get what they pay for – a home inspection that protects their investment." TV host, – Mike Holmes of "Holmes on Homes" added.
QUICK FACTS
The cost of a home inspection in Ontario ranges from $350 to $600.
An inspection will typically report on the condition of the roof, structure, foundation, drainage, heating, cooling, plumbing, insulation, walls, doors and electrical system.
The province has already started to support improvements in the home inspection sector by investing in a two-year Home Inspection Technician (Co-op) diploma program at Sault College, which is the first of its kind in Ontario. The program is presently teaching students about residential home construction so that they can assist home builders and conduct home inspections. The Home Inspection Technician program includes a combination of classroom, laboratory and workshop learning so that students are highly qualified to enter the home inspection field. The program also includes a co-op work placement to ensure graduates have work experience to compliment their academic studies.
“Sault College has been anticipating the regulation of the home inspection industry and that is why we created the province’s first two-year diploma in home inspection in cooperation with the Mike Holmes group,” said Ron Common, President of Sault College. “We applaud the government for this much needed initiative and welcome the government’s consultation plan.”
“Our government is supporting programs that provide students with knowledge and skills that help them gain employment after graduating and Sault College’s Home Inspection program is already attracting students from across Ontario to our community,” said Orazietti. “As a result of the province’s targeted investments in education Sault College is well positioned to expand and provide more opportunities for its students as well as help the housing industry implement the regulations that will result from today’s announcement."
Protecting Ontario consumers is part of the province’s commitment to educate and protect Ontario families by ensuring a fair and safe marketplace.
The push for minimum qualifications for home inspectors has been one of Mike Holmes' pet crusades for years. Mike has been quoted saying in the past that pretty much anyone with a business card could call themselves a home inspector due to the lack of a unifying standard, with ladder and flashlight optional. All that is about to change for homeowners in Ontario, Canada, though, as the Province begins to adopt a new consumer protection initiative requiring mandatory minimum qualifications for home inspectors.
"This has been a long time coming. BC and Alberta are already on it. Now it’s Ontario’s turn. And I want to see the rest of Canada get behind this and push for higher standards. Homeowners should get what they pay for – a home inspection that protects their investment."
– Mike Holmes
Host of "Holmes on Homes"
Yesterday, Mike spoke at George Brown College in Toronto, enthusiastically announcing his support for the proposed changes the Ontario government intends to make.
From Mike's Facebook Yesterday:
At George Brown College helping announce a new consumer protection initiative. Ontario will be consulting on mandatory qualifications for Home Inspectors! Now this is what I'm talking about!Very happy to help Ontario step up to protect homeowners & strengthen the home inspection industry! http://bit.ly/W7S3G0
A video posted today on Mike Holmes' Facebook page:
And lastly (but not leastly) here are some articles regarding this story :-)
Ontario to regulate home inspections more closely
Right now, only those registered with the Ontario Association of Homes Inspectors can call themselves "registered home inspectors".... but anyone can provide the service.
The province will be meeting with industry organizations to come up with a list of minimum qualifications to increase transparency and improve consistency.
One aspect they'll be looking at is a minimum level of training for home inspectors.
Liberal MPP David Orazietti is taking charge. He says buying a home is one of the biggest purchases people make, so to have a properly trained inspector is crucial.
He says if the inspector misses anything, that could have a big financial impact on the new home owner later on.
Mike Holmes is supporting the project, saying this has been a long time coming.
From CHCH.com
Monday, October 01, 2012
Holmes helps launch Ontario's new home inspection guidelines
Video updated Starting this fall, the Ontario government will have a bigger role in protecting home buyers.
New home inspection guidelines were unveiled by consumer services minister Margarett Best this morning. TV home expert Mike Holmes says he fully supports the move.
"Working together to try and make a difference here makes sense to me. And I'll tell you it's the smartest thing we can do, to make sure its mandatory, that we have a system in place that makes sense, that we know that you can hire that home inspector. That's why I'm part of this."
The province says it will work with industry partners to make sure there are minimum qualifications to protect would-be homeowners.
Video: Sean Cowan reports:
"Working together to try and make a difference here makes sense to me. And I'll tell you it's the smartest thing we can do, to make sure its mandatory, that we have a system in place that makes sense, that we know that you can hire that home inspector. That's why I'm part of this."
The province says it will work with industry partners to make sure there are minimum qualifications to protect would-be homeowners.
Video: Sean Cowan reports:
 |
| Visit the website to view the video. |
From Local2.ca
McGuinty Government to Consult on Minimum Qualifications for Home Inspectors LOCAL2 Staff for local2 sault ste. marie
October 1st, 2012 | Last Updated at 12:16pm
"When you are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a home for you and your family, you want to know you’ve made a sound decision guided by a qualified and reliable home inspector. Today’s announcement is one of several we plan this fall to give Ontario consumers stronger rights and more choices." said Margarett Best Minister of Consumer Services this morning in Toronto.
Ontario is taking steps to help home buyers make informed choices and protect their investment when buying a home.
This fall, as part of a broader consumer protection initiative, the province will consult with home inspector associations, consumers, representatives from the real estate sector and other industry stakeholders on mandatory minimum qualifications for home inspectors.
Currently, anyone can offer home inspection services in Ontario, but only registered members of the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors can call themselves a registered home inspector. The province will work with industry partners to explore minimum qualifications that would aim to:
Increase transparency of the profession
Ensure a minimum standard of training
Improve consistency in home inspections
Enhance consumer protection.
"Raising the standards for home inspectors will help all home buyers as well as those selling their houses by creating a more level playing field where greater transparency helps inform one of the most important purchases of an individual's life." Sault MPP David Orazietti said.
"This has been a long time coming. BC and Alberta are already on it. Now it’s Ontario’s turn. And I want to see the rest of Canada get behind this and push for higher standards. Homeowners should get what they pay for – a home inspection that protects their investment." TV host, – Mike Holmes of "Holmes on Homes" added.
QUICK FACTS
The cost of a home inspection in Ontario ranges from $350 to $600.
An inspection will typically report on the condition of the roof, structure, foundation, drainage, heating, cooling, plumbing, insulation, walls, doors and electrical system.
The province has already started to support improvements in the home inspection sector by investing in a two-year Home Inspection Technician (Co-op) diploma program at Sault College, which is the first of its kind in Ontario. The program is presently teaching students about residential home construction so that they can assist home builders and conduct home inspections. The Home Inspection Technician program includes a combination of classroom, laboratory and workshop learning so that students are highly qualified to enter the home inspection field. The program also includes a co-op work placement to ensure graduates have work experience to compliment their academic studies.
“Sault College has been anticipating the regulation of the home inspection industry and that is why we created the province’s first two-year diploma in home inspection in cooperation with the Mike Holmes group,” said Ron Common, President of Sault College. “We applaud the government for this much needed initiative and welcome the government’s consultation plan.”
“Our government is supporting programs that provide students with knowledge and skills that help them gain employment after graduating and Sault College’s Home Inspection program is already attracting students from across Ontario to our community,” said Orazietti. “As a result of the province’s targeted investments in education Sault College is well positioned to expand and provide more opportunities for its students as well as help the housing industry implement the regulations that will result from today’s announcement."
Protecting Ontario consumers is part of the province’s commitment to educate and protect Ontario families by ensuring a fair and safe marketplace.
From SooToday.com
Mike Holmes says this will be good for homebuyers
Monday, October 01, 2012 by: SooToday.com Staff
Mandatory minimum qualifications for home inspectors in Ontario appear to be on the way.
This fall the province will be working with home inspector associations, consumers, the real estate sector and other industry stakeholders to formulate standards.
As things stand now, anyone can offer home inspection services.
But only registered members of the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors can call themselves a registered home inspector.
Establishing minimum qualifications will increase transparency, set a minimum standard of training, improve consistency in home inspections and protect consumers, according to a government news release.
"This has been a long time coming " says Mike Holmes, host of Holmes on Homes. "B.C. and Alberta are already on it. Now it’s Ontario’s turn. And I want to see the rest of Canada get behind this and push for higher standards. Homeowners should get what they pay for – a home inspection that protects their investment."
Home inspection costs in Ontario range from $350 to $600.
Locally, Sault College offers a two-year home inspection program.
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