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 that we were not even half way through the leaky condo disaster in BC.
After 9 long years of under-estimating the full extent of the leaky condo disaster it would finally be acknowledged in the report. Direct costs to B.C. families for the various types of fixes, many inadequate, already exceeded a staggering $2.3 billion, and only 45 per cent of B.C.'s leaky condos had been fixed.
Pierre Gallant, an architect with engineering consulting firm Morrison Hershfield, told the Vancouver Sun, "It is hard to estimate the number of buildings that still need repairing." Gallant's concern is that without the loan program, owners will be more reluctant to address their problems with leaks and buildings will go longer without repairs.
With leaky condo remediation costing more than three times what it cost 10 years ago and no loan program in place, more "partial" or "band-aid" type fixes will inevitably be undertaken. This has serious ramifications to homeowners and home buyers beyond the funding of direct repair costs.
A homebuyer considering a home (1982 to 2002) will want to know that it is "low risk" to buy. This means if moisture should penetrate the building envelope it can escape through the cavity wall (Rainscreen); not "Faceseal" in which water gets trapped resulting in rot.
To verify a building is reasonably safe (there are no absolute guarantees), here are a few tips [...]
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