UNPERMITTED WORK BECOMING A REAL SAFETY CONCERN!

Vancouver, B. C. - In a story recently broadcast by the CBC, and a news article by Business in Vancouver,  there appears to be a disturbing new trend among some building contractors to undertake work without obtaining the necessary permits required by many Lower Mainland jurisdictions.  This is an incredibly dangerous and stupid way to mitigate a building owners costs or reduce the amount of a quotation in order to score a sale.  Some jurisdictions (like Vancouver for instance) will not only issue a Stop Work Order, they will fine the contractor by doubling or even tripling the normal permit fee when he is forced to apply for one.  Repeat offenders could have their Vancouver business licence revoked as well.

If you are a building owner, please make sure the contractors you invite to quote any work you require also include the applicable permit fees, carries adequate liability insurance, and provides a written contract.  If it’s an emergency repair such as changing out a non-functional fire alarm panel (which, in Vancouver, requires an electrical permit), you can obtain the permit after the fact with no penalty.  Simply explain the situation to the nice folks at the counter when you apply.  Replacing non-functional modules inside a common control does not require a permit.  This is considered “service work”.

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Tech-News & Views

October/November, 2012