Correspondence from C. Hayward, President, Canadian Home Builders’ Association, Re: Two Day Residential Building Permit

Re: Two Day Residential Building Permit

The District of North Saanich recently announced a Two Day Residential Building Permit process available only to residential builders licensed by the Home Owner Protection Office. Applications must include New Home Registration Form with Warranty Insurance.

We request a review of your building permit process to determine if a similar program can be implemented in your municipality.

Unlicensed home owner builders apply for approximately 25% - 45% of municipal building permits in BC. The feedback we receive from building inspection departments is these applications require significantly more staff time to process. A more efficient building permit process encourages professional builders to build in your municipality.

All professional builders must be licensed by the Home Owner Protection Office and provide warranty to consumers. Many CHBA members are also Built Green builders and have taken the necessary education to build very energy efficient and sustainable homes.

A Two Day Building Permit is a good way to reward professionalism, energy efficiency, and better consumer protection. In addition, the cost savings improve affordability for first-time home buyers, particularly at a time when the federal government is tightening mortgage rules.

We would be pleased to discuss how we can help to create a more efficient building permit process.

Yours sincerely,

Cam Hayward President