Charges Follow Year-Long Investigation of Repeat Offender
TORONTO, September 12, 2024 – Following a thorough investigation, the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) has laid 124 charges against Albion Building Consultant Inc. (“Albion”) and its business associates for illegal building and selling. The HCRA is also seeking a restraining order to prevent Albion from further violating the law and endangering consumers.
“Albion has repeatedly disregarded the law governing new home construction,” says Wendy Moir, the HCRA’s Chief Executive Officer and Registrar. “The HCRA will continue to increase penalties on this former licensee until it stops putting the public at risk. Thousands of other builders across Ontario operate ethically and in accordance with the law. We cannot allow companies like Albion to continue to violate the law, undermine the industry’s integrity, and compromise public safety.”
Albion has multiple prior convictions for illegal building and failing to enrol new homes with Tarion, the administrator of the province’s new home warranty program. In 2022, it was ordered to pay over $200,000 in fines for illegal building. In 2024, the HCRA revoked its licence to build and sell homes in Ontario on the grounds that it would not operate lawfully or with honesty and integrity. However, allegations surfaced that Albion continued to build homes despite having its licence revoked.
In February 2024, the HCRA executed a search warrant at Albion’s offices, seizing hundreds of thousands of business records. The HCRA simultaneously issued a freeze order, prohibiting Albion from withdrawing purchasers’ funds and requiring Albion to hold those funds in trust.
Based on evidence obtained during the search warrant, the HCRA has laid 124 new charges against Albion and five business associates related to the construction of 40 new homes. The charges include illegal building and selling, failure to enrol homes, failure to comply with conditions, and being a party to an offence. It is the largest investigation in the HCRA’s history.
“Evidence uncovered through the search warrant has revealed extensive violations, leading to these new charges,” says Moir. “Albion’s ongoing misconduct poses a serious risk to the public. We advise all consumers to be on the lookout and extremely cautious of Albion falsely presenting itself as a licensed builder, which it is not. They are not qualified or authorized to build or sell homes.”
About the HCRA
The Home Construction Regulatory Authority is responsible for regulating and licensing the people and companies who build and sell new homes in Ontario. The HCRA enforces high professional standards for competence and conduct in the homebuilding industry, giving new home buyers confidence in one of the biggest purchases of their lives. The HCRA also maintains consistency across the sector, curtailing unethical and illegal builders.
In addition to licensing, the HCRA provides educational information for consumers on their home buying journey and hosts the Ontario Builder Directory – the authoritative source of background information about each of Ontario’s nearly 7,000 new home builders and vendors.
Contact: Tess Lin
media@hcraontario.ca