A plan to bolster regulation of building inspections and the rules applied to divided ownership has been proposed by the government of Quebec.
The proposals included in Bill 16 have been welcomed by the Organisme d'autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec (OACIQ) which says they are an excellent basis for discussion.
The changes would mean that building inspectors would be subject to mandatory training and OAICIQ believes this should be quickly discussed and should include basic training, continued education, and professional liability insurance.
It is calling for any new legislation to include uniform practice standards and the ability for consumers to know the scope of services offered by inspectors when they are buying a property.
Access to information
On the issues addressing divided ownership, OAICIQ says that access to the relevant co-ownership documents by a prospective buyer should be reinforced by a specific obligation of the syndicate of co-owners to provide them, since this contributes considerably to the smooth running of real estate transactions.
It also says that the government should be more ambitious is its aims to ensure th oversight of property managers, including requirements that their knowledge is sufficient and up to date.
