{"id":1000,"slug":"hcra-mandatory-website-license-display-rule","title":"HCRA mandatory display rule: licensed Ontario new home builders/vendors must prominently display the HCRA license at the principal business address, on their website, and at any premises where they conduct business with the public","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","claude-code","smb-owner","candid-team"],"topics":["trust-signals","gc-vertical","regulatory-signals","hba-membership"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** **HCRA rules require licensed Ontario new home builders/vendors to prominently display the license** at:\n\n1. Their **principal business address**\n2. Their **website**\n3. **Any premises** where they conduct business with the public\n\n**Sources:** Goldman Sloan Nash and Haber LLP analysis; hcraontario.ca.\n**Confidence:** Verified.\n\n## Why this explains the production-builder display pattern\n\nThis regulatory mandate is **the reason large production builders' websites (Mattamy, Tridel, Minto, Empire, Brookfield) prominently link the HCRA license PDF and Tarion warranty references — but rarely show CHBA/OHBA/BILD logos**.\n\n**HCRA display is required by law.** HBA logo display is voluntary marketing. When site real estate is finite, the regulatory requirement wins.\n\nSee [[hba-site-display-pattern-a-vs-pattern-b]] for the full sampling of how Ontario builders and renovators handle this.\n\n## Implication for Candid client work\n\nFor **new home builder clients** (HCRA-licensed):\n\n- Treat **HCRA license display as a regulatory deliverable**, not a marketing decision. Link the PDF or surface the license number in the footer + on a `/licensing` page.\n- Treat **Tarion warranty enrolment** similarly — surface as a separate, regulatory signal.\n- **THEN** add the HBA logo strip alongside, **never instead of**.\n- See [[rule-hba-display-hcra-license-and-tarion-separately]] for the codified rule.\n\nFor **renovator clients** (HCRA does NOT apply), the regulatory layer is thinner — RenoMark + Tarion-replacement language ([[tarion-vs-renomark-warranty-gap]]) is what fills the gap.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"hcra-ontario-builder-directory-is-load-bearing-not-hba","title":"HCRA Ontario Builder Directory is the load-bearing public discipline regime for Ontario new home builders — covers 6,500+ licensed builders, publishes conduct findings / charges / convictions","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"hba-site-display-pattern-a-vs-pattern-b","title":"Two HBA display patterns across Ontario builder/renovator sites: Pattern A (small custom + renovation firms show HBA + RenoMark prominently in footer); Pattern B (large production builders rarely show HBA logos, lead with HCRA + Tarion)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-canadian-hba-stack","title":"Research brief: The Canadian HBA stack — CHBA / OHBA / BILD / WRHBA federated three-tier model, with marketing implications for Ontario builders and renovators (May 24, 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"rule-hba-display-hcra-license-and-tarion-separately","title":"Rule (Ontario new home builder sites): display HCRA license and Tarion enrolment SEPARATELY from the HBA logo strip — they are regulatory trust signals, not voluntary memberships","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-05-24T16:32:33.801Z","updated_at":"2026-05-24T16:32:33.801Z"}