The coverage amount totals $40,000.

Buyers are completely protected, up to $40,000, under the guarantee plan. After having compensated the buyers, the plan will claim a payment of up to $5,000 from the sellers. Any amount exceeding $5,000 paid under the plan will be attributed to normal business risk.

In short, the guarantee plan takes on a financial risk of up to $35,000.

The coverage period is one year following the deed of sale. It extends to three (3) years for major defects.

With the exception of heat pumps, coverage excludes any items that are not an integral part of the main building. See guarantee copy for more details.

Items covered include:

• Attic, insulation
• Foundation, walls, roof
• Siding, sub-floor
• Electricals, plumbing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning
• Doors and windows
• Water infiltration, mold, premature wear on materials
• Heat pumps

All building used exclusively for residential purposes are eligible.

• Single-family properties
• Plexes with 2 to 5 units
• Condominiums – private portions only

Vacant properties are also eligible, if they are properly maintained.

• New residential buildings (5 years or less) already covered by a guarantee plan
• Commercial buildings
• Foreclosed properties
• Buildings listed without a legal guarantee

The Integri-T Guarantee Plan is offered to selling owners for a minimal investment. You will have to make the two (2) following payments:

• An initial $350 payment to cover the fees and travel expenses of the technologist who will visit your property.
• A second instalment of at least $750 is payable upon delivery of the guarantee certificate, at the notary office.

These amounts may be higher, based on the sell price and type of building.

You may consult our range of fees through your agent or our customer service department.

These fees are subject to change without prior notice.

Since the Integri-T Guarantee Plan against hidden defects will reassure buyers, your property will benefit from a distinctive market advantage and attract motivated buyers, which is of course what you want!

• Your GUARANTEED property will attract serious buyers quicker
• Potential buyers will trust in this guarantee and favour your property
• Potential buyers will offer you a fair price
• Your final buyer will benefit from coverage of up to $40,000
• The inspection to confirm your eligibility will also enable you to make necessary repairs or improvements to your property, if needed

You will be issued a certificate confirming your registration to this program once your property has been inspected for eligibility. Your 12-month registration enables your agent to advertise your property as benefitting from said guarantee.

If you’re considering selling your property without a legal guarantee and the resulting coverage in case of legal action, you should know that such a listing will generate 8% less revenue, according to a study conducted by research firm JLR Real Estate. This means $16,000 less for a $200,000 building. That’s a high price to pay to abstain from protection against legal action. The Integri-T Guarantee will help you worry less at a far lower price.

Through the Integri-T Guarantee, you’ll have another option than foregoing a legal guarantee to limit your obligations and avoid selling for less. Many buyers refuse to even consider properties listed without any legal guarantee, and those that do usually end up offering far less.

You’ll decrease your seller obligation from $40,000 to $5,000, as the guarantee plan covers financial risks up to $35,000.

Most hidden defects are discovered during the first year after purchase. Should such a defect be found in the property in that period, the buyer could claim repair costs up to $40,000.

In the case of major hidden defects, the coverage period extends from one (1) year to three (3) years.

The concerned parties benefit from a $40,000 coverage and buyers don’t have to worry about paying any fees related to the guarantee plan.

• A technologist will handle the reconciliation process to help the concerned parties avoid legal action, or paying legal costs and expert fees.
• You’ll thereby avoid finding yourself engaged in legal action without a favourable outcome.
• Should any repairs be needed, they will be coordinated and made by accredited specialists.

Notice to buyers: The inspection to confirm eligibility conducted by the Integri-T Guarantee Plan’s technologist doesn’t replace an inspection conducted by a building inspector, as it is not the same process. As a result, we strongly recommend that you have your entire property checked by an independent building inspector of your choice, who complies with all standards of practice and carries professional liability insurance against faults, errors and omissions.

Should all processes to avoid a claim from your buyers fail, said claim will be submitted to the Integri-T Guarantee Plan’s reconciliation service, instead of the courts.

This alternative solution, to which buyers agree during the promise to purchase, will help the concerned parties avoid any legal and expert fees.

A technologist specializing in reconciliation will visit the property to listen to the seller and buyer, assess the alleged defects and manage the claim. Said claim will then be analysed, as it would in court. This protects the seller from a buyer that may be trying to exploit the situation.

The concerned parties will avoid finding themselves engaged in legal action without a favourable outcome. Except in very rare cases, reconciliations are decisive and conclude with a report, saving everyone time and money.

Buyers seeking to file a claim must immediately call 1 800 956-7526 or send an e-mail to garantiehabitation@prov.acq.org. Their claim will then be managed by the plan.

The claim will quickly be assigned to a reconciliation expert that is also a member of the Ordre des technologues professionnels du Québec.

The reconciliation expert’s mandate is to assess both parties’ testimonies, as well as conduct any investigation or inspection deemed necessary to determine the claim’s validity and the nature of any repairs required. To do so, said expert must be granted unrestricted access to the property.

A $200 fee will be charged to the buyer, to be refunded should the claim prove valid.

RE/MAX partnered with the Association de la Construction du Québec (ACQ) to offer the Integri-T Guarantee Plan. Their guarantee division has been managing plans since 1994, with a total of over 300,000 plans as of 2016. Garantie Habitation specializes in building quality control, risk management and reconciliation.