If you are not familiar with the HPO (Homeowner Protection Office) here in BC, they are a great resource for those who are looking at building, those who have built, or those who are current homeowners. The following from their website describes what they do, who they serve, and how they are funded:
The Homeowner Protection Office (HPO) is a branch of BC Housing, a provincial Crown agency under the Ministry of Natural Gas Development. Minister Rich Coleman is the Deputy Premier and the Minister of Natural Gas Development and Minister Responsible for Housing.
The HPO is responsible for:
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.
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 owner builders. 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.
Revenues collected from residential builder license fees and owner builder authorization fees provide the funding for the Homeowner Protection Office’s (HPO) programs.
View BC Housing’s Corporate Reports including the most recent Service Plan. The goals and objectives in the Service Plan are tied to performance targets, including performance targets for the Homeowner Protection Office as a branch of BC Housing.
One of the many items that the HPO does very well is a series called Maintenance Matters.
Maintenance Matters is a series of bulletins and videos designed to provide practical information on the maintenance of the building envelope of multi-unit residential buildings including townhouses, low and high-rise residential buildings.
Anyone who lives in or looks after a multi-unit residential building should read these bulletins including residents/unit owners, strata councils, housing co-ops, maintenance managers, property managers or building owners.
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We specialize in building custom homes and renovations in the picturesque Sea-to-Sky Corridor, including Whistler, Squamish, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, and Pemberton.
