Ontario homeowners who do not agree with the Tarion Warranty Corporation’s (Tarion) decisions can appeal to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT).  However, many homeowners have advised Canadians for Properly Built Homes (CPBH) that they are unwilling to go to the LAT for two main reasons:  homeowners’ negligible success at the LAT and because Tarion is always represented by a lawyer at the LAT. 

CPBH decided to delve into this matter and discovered some interesting issues.  For example, after analyzing the 2006 Decisions related to home warranty by the LAT, it was revealed that homeowners were successful less than 16% of the time overall in 2006, and won no appeals related to major structural deficiencies in 2006.  CPBH has called on the Government of Ontario to have an independent study conducted related to these issues.

Further, although consumers can take their concerns to the Ombudsman of Ontario if they are dissatisfied with the services provided by the LAT, including Decisions made by the LAT, the LAT’s web-site does not communicate this information to the public.  In May 2007 CPBH raised this issue with the LAT, and requested that the LAT’s web-site, and other communications to the public by the LAT, provide information concerning the Ombudsman of Ontario’s role in relation to the LAT.  In a letter dated June 21, 2007, the LAT advised CPBH that a new policy, called the “Tribunal’s Complaints Policy”, will be posted to the LAT web-site shortly.  This policy contains information respecting complainants’ right to raise their concerns with the Ombudsman of Ontario if they are dissatisfied with the services provided by the LAT.  The LAT thanked CPBH for this suggestion.

CPBH is pleased that this information will be provided on the LAT’s web-site, and encourages the LAT to communicate this information in all communications to the public.