Ontario Builder Directory (OBD)

The HCRA provides access to a searchable database with information about Ontario’s approximately 6,500 licensed home builders and vendors. Information that the directory provides includes confirmation that a builder is licensed, whether they have had any convictions, the number of homes they have built, and their warranty history.

Prospective home buyers are encouraged to search the Ontario Builder Directory (OBD) to ensure the builder they are considering working with is licensed to build homes in Ontario.

The OBD provides a 10-year history for all registered builders, as well as those who are no longer registered to build homes. If a builder is not listed, it may be for many reasons including not passing the technical test based on the Ontario Building Code regulations, or not providing the financial securities mandated to build homes in Ontario. If they are not listed, they are building illegally.

The HCRA will ensure that the information is accurate, fair and consistent.

As the regulator, the background information the HCRA provides about builders and vendors is completely objective and quantifiable. As such, the OBD does not include any ratings or rankings.

Licensed builders and vendors will be legally responsible for providing updated information to the HCRA when there are relevant changes to their operations. The HCRA will also update each builder and vendor’s status based on data from Tarion and the HCRA’s own investigations.

The Ontario Builder Directory is online at obd.hcraontario.ca.