Accreditation

In Quebec, a contractor who wants to sell or build a new residential building must meet two conditions:

1 – be accredited by Garantie de construction résidentielle (GCR). As of January 1, 2015, GCR is the only non-profit organization authorized by the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) to administer the guarantee plan for new residential buildings in Quebec.

2 – Hold a Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) contractor licence with at least one of subclass 1.1.1 or 1.1.2

This mandatory guarantee plan fulfills certain obligations on your part and covers the following new residential buildings:

1.1.1    Buildings held in undivided co‑ownership  – Detached, semi‑detached or row‑type single‑family house and multifamily building of two to five units

1.1.2    Buildings held in divided co‑ownership  – Detached, semi‑detached or row‑type single‑family house and multifamily building held in divided co‑ownership (condo) of no more than four stacked private portions

Any entity looking to construct or sell a new residential building covered by the Regulation respecting the guarantee plan for new residential buildings must be accredited under the mandatory guarantee plan administered by GCR.

A real estate developer is subject to the same obligations as a construction contractor when selling a new residential building covered by the mandatory guarantee plan that GCR administers.

Entities must be accredited by GCR and possess a general contractor’s licence issued by the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ), including at least one of the 1.1.1 or 1.1.2 licence subclasses, even in the event that a general contractor constructed the building in question.

The following is a non‑exhaustive list of criteria for determining if you are required to obtain accreditation from GCR and be properly licensed with the RBQ.

1) GCR accreditation and RBQ licence

Any entity, including a developer, that has interactions with a beneficiary regarding at least one of the documents listed below:

• Certification of advance payment
• End of work notification
• Guarantee contract
• Preliminary contract
• Notarized contract of sale
• Pre-acceptance inspection form

The foregoing applies to both buildings held in co‑ownership and to single‑family and multifamily buildings.

2) Building registration

The entity in question in item 1 must also register relevant buildings and private portions and oversee the transfer of common portions, if applicable.

How to get accredited

To receive accreditation from Garantie de construction résidentielle, you must fill out the following documents (in french) and have them mailed to us. To make sure you don’t forget anything, we invite you to use the following checklist Nouvelle demande d’accréditation : documents à fournir (in french).

• Application for membership, with $546.13 payment (including applicable taxes) to cover the analysis fees and the other documents indicated in section 9 of the application for membership. These fees are non-refundable.
• Personal balance sheet form, along with relevant documents (e.g., municipal assessments of your properties, mortgage balances on buildings, your investment statements, etc.)
• CV Form
• An opening balance sheet or your latest financial statements, along with a review engagement report written by a CPA auditor.
• Resolution of the board of directors
• Membership agreement – Important note: Each page must be initialed at the bottom right by each signatory

→ Download the full kit [in french]

Useful info

Certificate of accreditation

Under section 82 of the Regulation respecting the guarantee plan for new residential buildings, the certificate of accreditation must be displayed in a conspicuous place at your principal establishment in Quebec.

Contractors renew membership with GCR at the same time they renew their license with the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ). An email will be sent to the contractor to complete his renewal on the Zone GCR at least two months in advance.

Membership renewal fees are non-refundable and cover expenses associated with analyzing the file.

Useful info

Reopening fees will be charged for new reviews of a closed file. After 60 days, you will have to pay for the full membership fees once more. Administrative fees of $50 plus applicable taxes are charged for non-sufficient funds.

Updated financial statements

Your business’s annual financial statements must be provided to GCR within four months of the end of your fiscal year, but we may tolerate up to six months in some cases. No notice to reader is allowed, and a review engagement report prepared by a CPA is required.

The required security varies, based primarily on the Cote Qualité GCR and the number of registered units.

Useful info

• The minimum amount provided for by the Regulation respecting the guarantee plan for new residential buildings is $55,000 or $70,000, depending on the licence subclass, for contractors that have been practicing for over four years and $70,000 or $100,000, depending on the licence subclass, for contractors that have been practicing for less than four years. According to the analysis of your file, the amounts requested in guarantees could be higher than the minimums indicated in the table.
• Please note that other guarantees may be required based on your experience in the construction of new buildings, the quality of your construction work, the quantity and the value of the claims on your projects, your acknowledged personal worth, the state of your personal and commercial credit and your company’s financial situation.
• GCR reserves the right to accept or refuse the guarantees offered by an entrepreneur according to the risk assessed in his file.

A variety of securities and guarantees can be used to obtain your GCR accreditation:

1. Personal security
2. Security of a third person (individual)
3. Immovable hypothec
4. Movable hypothec
5. Letter of guarantee from a bank
6. Surety bond
7. Additional surety bond

Bond from a insurance company

Under certain conditions, GCR allows contractors to provide a bond from an insurance company. The insurer must have a prior agreement with GCR.

Here is the contact information for organizations that have an agreement with GCR:

• Cautionnement ACQ : 1 800 956-7526
• APCHQ – Cautionnement Centrex : 1 855 608-8546

When GCR analyzes a personal balance sheet, the assets and liabilities are adjusted as follows:

Every contractor accredited by GCR will be assigned a Cote Qualité GCR.

→ Consult the details of the Cote Qualité GCR