Orillia, ON, May 14, 2009 –
Area-builder Anthony H. Rowe of Coldwater, Ontario was given a 90-day jail sentence after he was found guilty of four counts of illegal building in an Orillia court. Unpaid fines totaling over $10,000 for previous illegal building convictions and Mr. Rowe’s failure to appear in court for the trial contributed to the hefty sentence.
"Illegally-built homes often contain stolen materials and may be constructed by unskilled trades. In addition, construction may not meet Ontario Building Code standards," said Dave Roberts, Director of Enforcement at Tarion. "Builders who do not play by the rules tarnish the reputation of the residential construction industry. In this case, there were so many deficiencies in one of Mr. Rowe’s illegally built homes that the owners were forced to move out."
"It is important for homeowners to research a prospective builder before signing a purchase agreement. Doing so would have saved these home buyers plenty of heartache," Roberts added.
Under the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act ("the Act") every builder or vendor of a new home that is sold in the Province of Ontario must be registered with Tarion, which protects the rights of new home buyers by regulating the home building industry, and administering and guaranteeing the province’s new home warranty program. Home builders are also required to enrol every new home with Tarion prior to its construction.
Tarion’s Enforcement team, which includes a number of former police officers works with municipal officials and others to uncover illegal building in Ontario. During 2008, their efforts led to 379 convictions and $851,000 in fines being levied by the courts.
Illegal building can be anonymously reported by calling Tarion at 1-800-786-6497, or by sending an email to enforcement@tarion.com. New home buyers are also encouraged to visit the "Find a Builder" section of Tarion’s website to confirm that their builder is registered.
About Tarion
Tarion Warranty Corporation is a private corporation established in 1976 to serve as the Regulator of the new home building industry in Ontario. In this role, Tarion licenses all new home and condominium builders pursuant to provincial legislation. This statute requires new home builders to provide purchasers with warranty coverage that is guaranteed by Tarion. The Corporation also establishes minimum time standards for after-sales service, and adjudicates issues between homeowners and builders. As of the end of 2008, over 1.9 million homes in Ontario have been protected under warranty by Tarion.
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For more information, please contact: Corinne Smirle, Sr. Manager, Corporate Communications at (416) 229-3863 or corinne.smirle@tarion.com
