Become a Licensed Builder/Vendor

Competency Requirements

A builder or vendor applying for a licence as a first-time applicant must meet the competency requirements put in place under section 38 of the New Home Construction Licensing Act, 2017 (NHCLA). Visit our page on competency requirements, to learn more.

Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Checks

First-time applicants are responsible for providing the results of a Criminal Record and Judicial Matter check as part of the licensing application process with the HCRA. To provide the results of a Criminal Record and Judicial Matter check, please use the HCRA’s third-party provider This link will take you to a HCRA-specific BackCheck landing page to get the enhanced background check needed to fulfill HCRA’s requirements. Please do not use the myBackcheck self-serve option (myBackcheck’s general public website) as it does not fulfill HCRA requirements. Alternatively, you can provide the results of a check completed by a municipal police service or the Ontario Provincial Police.

If the applicant is a corporation or partnership, the corporation or partnership is responsible for providing the results of a Criminal Record and Judicial Matter check for each of their directors and officers and partners, as applicable.

The HCRA will not accept Criminal Record and Judicial Matter checks that are more than six months old. If the third-party provider is not used, the report must be included for an application to be complete and must be the original copy, stamped and signed. Please note that the HCRA will not accept Canadian Criminal Record Checks without the Judicial Matter component.

If an applicant has a criminal record, it does not mean the application will be refused. The Registrar will consider a range of factors including the relevance of the conduct to licensing, how much time has passed since the conduct, whether the conduct is part of a pattern of behaviour, and steps taken to redress the impact of the conduct. The Registrar will also consider the circumstances of each individual matter in assessing the results of a Criminal Record and Judicial Matter Check.

Interested Persons

As part of the application process, the HCRA will review information about individuals and corporations involved with your business

An interested person is a person who may not be the applicant, an officer

or director, but who nonetheless exercises influence or control over the operation of the applicant or licensee. The interested person’s influence may be the result of direct or indirect financial controls. It is important to note that an interested person does not necessarily need to have any formal ownership position or financial arrangement with a licensee. The key point is that the person may be exercising control over the applicant or licensee.

First-time applicants and renewal applicants will be asked to identify interested persons on their application forms. They are also obliged to notify the Registrar of changes to the information provided. At the time of application for a licence or renewal, interested persons are not required to undergo a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check. The Registrar may, however, determine that additional information is required about one or more identified interested persons.

The application form also includes a declaration by the applicant about past and present conduct and financial responsibility of identified interested persons. This includes whether the interested persons have currently or previously been registered with Tarion under the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act or licensed with the HCRA under the New Home Construction Licensing Act, 2017.

It is important to disclose all interested persons. Failure to do so might be considered as an honesty and integrity issue by the Registrar.