HCRA + Tarion are two distinct gates — an Ontario new-home builder needs both to legally build or sell

Rule: An Ontario new-home builder/vendor needs both an HCRA licence and Tarion authorization (Qualification for Enrolment, or QFE) to legally build or sell a new home. An HCRA licence alone is not enough.

Source: https://builderportal.hcraontario.ca/en-US/faq/

Confidence: Verified.

Roles split:

• HCRA — licenses the company/principals; runs the OBD; investigates and disciplines; prosecutes illegal builders.
• Tarion — administers the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan; enrols individual homes; pays warranty claims; underwrites new builders through QFE. Warranty structure: see [[tarion-1-2-7-pdi-warranty-structure]].
• MPBSDP (Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement) — sets legislation and oversees HCRA.

Why it matters for buyer verification: Every major illegal-building prosecution (Albion, Stateview, Pinetree, Hiebert) involved failure to enrol new homes with Tarion — not just unlicensed building. If a home is for sale but not enrolled with Tarion, that's the textbook illegal-build scenario HCRA prosecutes. The OBD's "Confirm Your Home's Warranty" search ties the two together for buyers.