There will be more protection for homeowners in Alberta, after a marathon session at the legislature.
During the session- which stretched from Tuesday, through the wee hours of Wednesday morning and into the afternoon- some very important changes were made to the Safety Codes Act, which cracks down on building code violations.
There was an increase to the statue of limitation on building code violations. Homeowners now have three years to report violations, which is up from six months.
There was also a change made to the penalties builders will face for building code violations. The maximum fine a builder will face for a first offence has gone up to $100,000 from $15,000. The maximum penalty for any subsequent offences jumped to $500,000 from $30,000.
The changes are being welcomed by many, as they say they provide consumers with more protection on one of the biggest purchases they'll ever make.
"It makes it very unprofitable for somebody to try and circumvent the building codes and build a shoddy house," said Doug Griffiths, Minister of Municipal Affairs.
"Those are some pretty substantial fines and there is no reason to have incomplete homes and homes that do not meet compliance with regards to the code," added Dave Hooge, president of the Canadian Home Builders' Association adding, "If we are finishing our homes, completing them according to code, we shouldn't be worried about it. So we support anything that would provide protection for consumers in that regard."
Bill 5- the New Home Buyer Protection Act was also officially passed. It makes home warranties mandatory across the province. It also provides consumers with more coverage and protection.
"It's a step forward for our industry. We certainly look forward to being able to provide better consumer protection and bring builders to a level playing field in terms of the product we're providing," said Hooge.
With files from Julie Matthews.
© Global News. A division of Shaw Media Inc., 2013.