Renovating one’s own building no longer illegal

The Government of Quebec is planning to allow duplex and triplex owners to renovate their own buildings without having to hire a professional with skill certification. However, plumbing, electrical and structural work must still be done by a certified professional.

Currently, Act R-20 requires hiring a worker, which, depending on the trade, costs between $62 and $84 an hour in the light residential sector. Given the problems of cost, availability and even lack of contractor interest for some small jobs, many owners prefer or are forced to do the work themselves.

This practice is illegal, however, and these owners risk being fined between $225 and $1,794 if an inspector from Quebec’s construction commission (CCQ) finds out. Doing renovations oneself is only allowed for a not-for-profit dwelling the individual lives in, not for units that are rented for profit.

CORPIQ has long called for these restrictions to be relaxed, and brought the issue to the attention of the Government of Quebec numerous times in the 1980s and 90s, and more recently in 2010 and 2015. However, CORPIQ disagrees with limiting the exemption to duplex and triplex owners, and suggests that the law should exempt all rental buildings with up to six units as well as houses.

This will not affect building owners who have maintenance and renovation work done by their permanent employees. These owners would still be exempt from Act R-20