STTBC and BCIPI Respond to Requirement for House Inspectors to be Licensed
The BC Minister of Public Safety John van Dongen announced on Friday January 30, 2009 that effective March 31, 2009 all house inspectors MUST be licensed in BC, a first in Canada. The Regulation provides that those certified by ASTTBC will qualify for a license. CAHPI(BC) and the National Certification Program are also named. House inspectors certified with ASTTBC will be able to apply to the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority for a license. The fee will be $100 and will be valid for 3 years. “This is an historic day in BC. I congratulate the Minister for his leadership in getting this done. ASTTBC and BCIPI have been calling for licensing for years so this represents a great step forward,” said ASTTBC’s Executive Director, John Leech. “ASTTBC will prepare full information for its members in the next week or two to make sure ASTTBC-registered house inspectors are able to get licensed without delay once the processes are fully defined.” BCIPI President Noel Murphy added that licensing is a first step to a higher quality of service for all British Columbians seeking house inspection services. “On behalf of BCIPI I am pleased that the Government has acted on their promise to license inspectors. Because of the high standards established by ASTTBC in partnership with BCIPI our members are the best qualified in BC and will most certainly be sought out by consumers to offer services as a house inspector.” For full details please go to http://www.bpcpa.ca
The regulation goes a long way to ensure the public has access to qualified, registered and accountable professionals, but it is not without some challenges going forward. “There are a couple of issues that will need to be addressed as we work together with the BPCPA to ensure the most effective Regulation and professional regulation: (1) there will not be one common standard for licensing; and (2) the complaints and professional regulation framework varies between the organizations identified in the Regulation. We need to move quickly to a level playing field to ensure best practices in this field,” said John Leech. “I have assured the Minister, Ministry staff and the Director of BPCPA that ASTTBC will continue to work cooperatively toward the highest standards of professional regulation in BC. Information will be made available to all ASTTBC-registered House Inspectors as needed to meet the requirements of the Regulation. Information will also be posted to ASTTBC and BCIPI web sites: http://www.asttbc.org/docs/govpressrelease.pdf
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