Since there was no remaining meaningful consumer protection activities or responsibilities being conducted at the Homeowner Protection Office (HPO), it is no surprise to learn that the HPO is quietly closing its doors.
HOMEOWNER PROTECTION ACT RESPONSIBILITIES TRANSFERRED
The announcement last summer that the HPO interest-free loan program (designed to keep Leaky Condo owners in their homes) [...]

The sudden discontinuation on July 31, 2009, of the HPO Reconstruction Loan Program by Housing Minister, Rich Coleman and his government was unconscionable.  They have now brought consumer protection to an all-time low in BC.
In the Fall of 2007 the Homeowner Protection Office received an independent report from McClanaghan and Associates which clearly pointed out [...]

Leaky Condo reconstruction costs have soared past $3 billion so far, and that doesn’t include the indirect societal costs borne by British Columbians that nobody is tracking.
Since only about 20 percent of leaky condo owners met the government imposed “means test” of the Homeowner Protection Office loan program, the $670 million in HPO victim loans [...]

Leaky condo assistance dries up, Liberals say program is obsolete
The provincial government is scrapping a program that for the past decade has provided leaky-condo owners with interest-free loans to pay for repairs
By Derrick Penner
The Vancouver Sun  -  August 1, 2009   
Housing and Development Minister Rich Coleman said the loan program has more than run [...]

This is not the place to cut corners in construction
When I read this today it reminded me of what became clear during the Barrett Commission hearings over a decade ago in British Columbia.  The many engineering assessments being conducted on leaky condos were turning up dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of building code violations. At one infamous [...]

Times Colonist             June 24, 2009
Condo victims deserve better
The leaky condo debacle remains one of the greatest consumer ripoffs in Canadian history, costing British Columbians between $1.5 billion and $2 billion. Lives were devastated when people bought homes and found themselves facing huge repair costs.
Now the provincial government, without warning, is halting an interest-free loan program [...]

Insurance companies not honouring new leaky condo warranties: owners
Insurers say lack of maintenance by owners is source of some problems
CBC - Monday, June 22, 2009 | 9:38 AM PT
Thousands of B.C. condominum owners have had to live behind walls of plastic while their leaky buildings were repaired. (CBC)
Some owners of recently built leaky condominiums say [...]

One year ago the following article which I wrote was published in the “pros & condos” section of Western Living Condo. Since then I have made it available to the public and other Realtors through my website and seminars. From feedback received I know it has already helped buyers so I thought it would be [...]

For many years the home builders association has been holding seminars for homebuyers at the Sheraton Guildford Hotel.
Leaky Surrey hotel at centre of lawsuit -Ted Colley, Surrey Now - Published: Tuesday, August 26, 2008
As a co-founder of the Coalition of Leaky Condo Owners, I along with some of my concerned colleagues attended these seminars between [...]

With all the responsibilities of buying and selling real estate, the need for risk management is crucial.
Whether pre-sale or resale, the onus for property evaluation is always on the buyer, although it is becoming more popular with sellers to have their own pre-sale inspection done to ensure that they are disclosing what needs to be disclosed. [...]