Rule: display regulator credentials with PORTABLE LINKS to authoritative registries (hcraontario.ca, tarion.com, renomark.ca, ohba.ca, wrhba.com, cca-acc.com, ihsa.ca) — never as inert images, never bundled inside a platform-branded badge

On contractor client websites, every regulator credential displayed must link to the authoritative public registry for that credential. The patterns:

Never display these credentials as:

• Inert image logos with no link
• Links pointing only to the parent organization's homepage (instead of the contractor's own profile entry)
• Bundled inside a platform-branded badge (e.g., HomeStars's "Verified" badge that wraps several of these credentials without surfacing each registry link)

Why:

• The credential's value is in its verifiability. A link to the authoritative registry lets a homeowner verify in one click. Without the link, the badge is just a graphic — and graphics are easy to fake.
• Platform-bundled "verified" badges (HomeStars Verified Badge, BBB Accreditation seal, Houzz Pro icons) obscure rather than amplify the underlying regulator credentials (HomeStars "Verified Badge" verifies criminal background + credit + HST registration + professional licensing — NOT HCRA, Tarion, COR, WSIB, project permits, or workmanship competency).
• The B&J marketing site's schema deployment (B&J — JSON-LD schema deployment VERIFIED (v2) — supersedes the "biggest technical gap" claim in v1) is the worked example of the load-bearing-link discipline applied across the credential surface.

How to apply:

• For every credential displayed, the link target is the most specific authoritative page available — the contractor's own profile entry where one exists, the issuer's lookup page otherwise.
• Verify each link annually during the credential-refresh cycle (January for HBA + RenoMark + most credentials).
• For HCRA + Tarion, see the separate rule 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 — these are regulatory display REQUIREMENTS for HCRA-licensed firms, distinct from voluntary credentials.
• Pair with schema markup (Schema markup for contractor sites (2026 Google guidance): GeneralContractor / HomeAndConstructionBusiness / LocalBusiness, Service per service-line, Review + AggregateRating, Person for principals, FAQPage on service pages, Project (Article subtype) on case studies) so AI engines can extract the credential + registry-URL pair for citation.