RULE: Buyers should search the Ontario Builder Directory before signing any Agreement of Purchase and Sale; not listed = unlicensed = walk away

Rule: Every Ontario new-home buyer should search the Ontario Builder Directory at obd.hcraontario.ca before signing any Agreement of Purchase and Sale. If the builder is not listed, do not buy from them — full stop.

HCRA's own plain-language guidance: "If a builder is not licensed, do not buy from them."

Source: https://www.hcraontario.ca/blog/2022/03/15/the-obd-step-1-in-choosing-a-new-home-builder/

Confidence: Verified.

The 10-step buyer workflow:

1. Get the exact legal entity name from the APS — not just the marketing brand.
2. Search the OBD by legal name, operating name, licence number, and principal name (see OBD search workflow — search by legal name AND principal name; umbrellas and Phoenix applications hide history under marketing brands).
3. Confirm "Licensed" status with no expired/suspended flag and an expiry date in the future.
4. Open the Regulatory Activities and Enforcement tab. Read every charge, conviction, NOP, compliance order, suspension, revocation, and Discipline outcome.
5. Apply the Insolvency Status filter.
6. Review the Tarion Warranty Overview tab — claims paid, chargeable conciliations, per-property complaints.
7. Review Properties / Condo Projects — cancellations and the reasons for them.
8. Search by principal name to surface related companies that may carry the real track record (Albion → Dynasty).
9. Confirm Tarion enrolment for the specific home via "Confirm Your Home's Warranty" on the OBD homepage.
10. Verify the licence number on the builder's marketing matches the OBD.

Red flags: Builder not listed; "Refused/Suspended/Revoked" status; restrictive conditions; high chargeable-conciliation count; recent receivership against related entities; shared-principal companies with prior convictions; pressure to sign deposit-cancellation amendments.

For Candid client work: This workflow is the canonical reason a builder client should want their HCRA licence number prominently displayed and linked to the OBD on their own site — see RULE: Every Candid builder-client site must display HCRA licence number(s) in the footer of every page and link directly to the builder's OBD profile. A buyer who finds a clean record on the OBD via the builder's own footer link converts faster than a buyer who finds it on the AG report.