How to choose a building inspector in Quebec, where the profession is not regulated

In short

In Quebec, anyone can call themselves a building inspector: there is no professional order and no mandatory licence. Protection comes from elsewhere: the OACIQ requires brokers to recommend an inspector who carries professional liability insurance, follows a recognized standard of practice (BNQ 3009-500 is the reference), uses a written service agreement and delivers a written report. Associations such as the AIBQ and the APCHQ require training and insurance from their members. Those four criteria are what to check.

The four questions to ask

Do you carry professional liability insurance in force? Which standard of practice do you follow? Will you have me sign a service agreement before the inspection? May I see a sample report? A serious inspector answers yes to the first three and sends a sample without hesitation.

A sample report shows the real depth: photos, severity labels, the distinction between an observed defect, a sign and a limitation, precise recommendations. A checkbox report with no text says little.

What should put you on guard

An inspector insistently recommended by the seller or their broker, a very low price, a one-hour inspection for a whole house, no written agreement, or a verbal report. Speed and price are paid for in what is not seen.

An inspector who offers to do the repairs they recommend is in a conflict of interest; standards of practice generally forbid it.

Orders of magnitude

The inspection of a single-family home most often runs a few hundred dollars, more for a large property or a plex, less for a condo. Price does not make quality, but a price far below market is a signal.

What to do before buying

Book early: good inspectors are taken several days ahead.
Check insurance, standard, agreement and sample report before confirming.
Attend the inspection: what the inspector explains on site is worth as much as the report.
Read the whole report, including the limitations, not only the summary.

What Clarity does with it

Clarity recognizes the structure of the main Quebec and North American report formats and keeps the inspector’s severity labels as they are; it does not judge the inspector, it makes their work readable.

Does your report mention this? Clarity tells you in five minutes what is priority, what to have checked and what to ask the seller.

Analyze my report

Frequently asked questions

Must an inspector belong to an association?

It is not mandatory, but membership in the AIBQ or the APCHQ implies training, a standard of practice and insurance, which meets the OACIQ criteria.

Is a professional order planned?

The question comes up regularly in Quebec and work has been done in that direction; at the time of writing, the profession remains without an order. Check the current state with the OACIQ or the AIBQ.

Can the broker impose an inspector?

No. They must recommend some, using the OACIQ criteria, but the choice is yours.

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