Building permit, or not?

‘Not’ was a poor choice for this Scarborough contractor

A Scarborough Ontario contractor learned this spring that choosing the “Not” option (ie. commencing a home renovation without the required building permit) was a huge mistake. The local Ajax municipality building inspector caught up with him and a ‘Stop Order’ was issued.

Here is an excerpt from the order to comply notice posted outside this residence.

“Construction of interior renovation without obtaining building permit…..It is illegal to obstruct the visibility of a posted order. It is also illegal to remove a posted order unless authorized by an inspector or registered code agency (Building code Act, 1992 s. 20”

The notice clearly shows the construction company’s name, their address and the business owner’s name, plus the home owner’s name.

That certainly is not good advertising for any home renovation company, especially if trying to build a brand name locally. Not only that but the local competition can take a marketing advantage of this situation by simply showing a photo of the notice to prospective clients!

Even worse, the house in question has been left empty since March 24, 2015. Therefore I am assuming 2 things (maybe rightly or wrongly): First, the homeowner cannot move in because the house has become non habitable. Second, legal action has been launched against this renovation company.

The outcome was as obvious as the lesson learned: Don’t gamble. Always get a building permit.