How to Check a Home Builder in Ontario Before You Sign

By National Homes · Published October 5, 2026

Before you sign for a new home in Ontario, look up the company named on your agreement in the Home Construction Regulatory Authority's Ontario Builder Directory and confirm it shows the status Licensed. Then read the rest of its record. The HCRA calls what the directory holds "factual, objective and quantifiable background information" and adds: "This is not a rating system and does not include reviews or subjective commentary." Below, we explain each field, then walk you through our own record at National Homes, for Northshore in Burlington, Whitehorn Woods in Mississauga and DUO in Brampton, as the directory showed it on September 30, 2026.

What the HCRA and its directory are

The Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) "licenses and regulates the people and companies who build and sell new homes in Ontario". The Government of Ontario designated it, effective February 1, 2021, as the regulatory authority under the New Home Construction Licensing Act, 2017. In the HCRA's words, "all new home builders and sellers must be licensed by the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA)", and "Only licensed builders can legally operate a home building business in Ontario."

Its directory "provides key information such as a builder's licensing status, years of activity, number of homes built, and any regulatory actions taken by the HCRA". If you are buying pre-construction, this is the public record you have. As the HCRA puts it: "Verifying your builder is licensed is the first step in finding a reputable builder."

What each field on a profile means

These definitions are the HCRA's, from the directory's Glossary of Terms and profile pages. The "At A Glance" counts cover the last 10 years.

Licence status. "Licensed" describes a builder or seller that "is currently licensed by the HCRA to build or sell new homes in Ontario." An "Expired" builder "cannot legally build or sell new homes".

Total possessions. "The total number of freehold or condominium properties delivered by the licensee to homeowners."

Chargeable conciliations. "The number of homes with warranted items that Tarion has determined should have been resolved by the builder. This number could include homes where the warranted items are still under dispute by the builder."

Claims. The "Total Dollars Paid in Claims" field "shows the total amount of money a vendor/builder has paid in claims of warranty violations." The Properties tab separates major claims, "Claims addressed under the Structural Warranty", from "Other Claims" (minor claims here).

Outstanding amounts. Fields such as "Outstanding Claims Paid Owing" and "Breach" show amounts a builder or vendor still owes.

Notices, conditions and convictions. A Notice of Proposal tells a licensee in writing of the HCRA's intent to "refuse to grant or renew a licence; suspend; or revoke a licence; or apply conditions to a licence." "Convicted" means a builder "has been charged and convicted in the Ontario Court of Justice" under the licensing or warranty legislation.

Related companies. In the glossary: "A group of builders or vendors sharing at least one common officer, director, principal, partner, or franchise." The group "is not a legal entity", while each member company is "a separate legal entity" with a separate licence number.

Our record, per the HCRA directory

We appear in the directory as a group of related companies named National Homes (ID 2488), listed at 291 Edgeley Boulevard with 905-669-9199, our corporate office number. Per the HCRA Ontario Builder Directory, fetched September 30, 2026, the group's totals are those in the Key takeaways. In the year-by-year table, the 3 chargeable conciliations sit in the rows for 2016, 2018 and 2019, with none since, and the 2 minor claims sit in the rows for 2023 ($2,155.12) and 2024 ($78,223.26). The outstanding-amount fields each show $0.00.

Two numbers, two sources. We were founded in 1992, and we have built over 15,000 homes. That is our own lifetime figure. The directory's 1,397 counts possessions over the last 10 years. The two measure different things, and the same care applies to any builder quoting a lifetime total.

The licensed companies behind Northshore, Whitehorn Woods and DUO

The name on a sales centre is a brand; the name on a licence is a company. Per the HCRA Ontario Builder Directory, fetched September 30, 2026:

All three profiles state "This builder has not been issued any registrar notices or orders", "This builder has no charges or convictions" and "There are no conditions on this vendor/builder's licence", show no discipline history, and list no condominium purchase agreement terminated by the vendor.

How to check any builder before you sign

These steps work for any builder, ours included.

1. Get the legal name. Ask which company is the vendor on the agreement of purchase and sale, and for its licence number.
2. Search the directory. Search obd.hcraontario.ca by name or licence number. If a builder is not listed, the HCRA calls that "a red flag".
3. Confirm the status reads Licensed. On unlicensed builders the HCRA is direct: "do not buy from them".
4. Open every regulatory tab. Notices & Orders, Disciplinary Activities, Court Charges and/or Convictions, and Licence Conditions. Read any entry in full.
5. Read the warranty figures in proportion. Set conciliations and claims against total possessions, year by year, with the "Years with Claims" filter.
6. Check the outstanding amounts. Anything above $0.00 is a question for the vendor and your lawyer.
7. For a condominium, open Condo Projects. Since January 1, 2023, it shows how many purchase agreements a builder has terminated, and why.
8. Have a lawyer read the agreement. The HCRA: "it is highly recommended that an experienced real estate lawyer review the APS before you sign."

What the directory can and cannot tell you

The HCRA does not publish a ranking of the best or most trusted home builders in the GTA, and its directory is not one. It gives every licensed builder the same fields. Its counts cover the last 10 years, it records licences, deliveries, claims and regulatory actions rather than reviews, and it is only as good as the name you search. The useful order is the licence, then the record, then the agreement read by a lawyer, then a visit.

Where to find our licences

Our Northshore community page links the licence for B61823 beside the sales office address, and our Whitehorn Woods page links that community's licence near the foot of the page. For DUO, search B60541 in the directory. For any licence document you are shown, the HCRA notes that "the Ontario Builder Directory (OBD) contains up-to-date information about the status of a licence."

To confirm which company is the vendor for a specific home, contact that community's sales office, by appointment (addresses and numbers below), or our corporate office in Concord.

Read more: Northshore's move-in ready suites and finished amenities, and the HST rebate on a new home in Ontario, April 2026 to March 2027.

Sources

• HCRA: What We Do: hcraontario.ca/what-we-do/
• HCRA: Ontario Builder Directory: hcraontario.ca/resources/ontario-builder-directory/
• HCRA: The OBD, Step 1 in Choosing a New Home Builder: hcraontario.ca
• HCRA: Before You Buy: hcraontario.ca/before-you-buy/
• HCRA: Applying for or Renewing a Licence: hcraontario.ca/applying-or-renewing-a-licence/
• HCRA: Licensing FAQs: hcraontario.ca/licensing-faqs/
• HCRA: Directive 4, Licence Display Requirements: hcraontario.ca
• Ontario Builder Directory: Glossary of Terms: obd.hcraontario.ca/glossary/
• Ontario Builder Directory: National Homes (ID 2488), fetched September 30, 2026: obd.hcraontario.ca/umbrella/2488
• Ontario Builder Directory: licences B61823, B60674 and B60541
• National Homes: About Us: nationalhomes.com/about-us/
• National Homes: Northshore Condos and Towns: nationalhomes.com/burlington-plains-rd/northshore-towns/
• National Homes: Whitehorn Woods, Mississauga: nationalhomes.com/mississauga-whitehorn-woods/
• National Homes: DUO, Brampton: nationalhomes.com/brampton-steeles-avenue/
• National Homes: Contact and sales offices: nationalhomes.com/contact-us/

🎧 Listen to article