Advertisement

B.C. financial regulator advises three day ‘cooling off’ period for homebuyers

Click to play video: 'Recommendations issued to try to bring calm to B.C.’s often overheated real estate sector'
Recommendations issued to try to bring calm to B.C.’s often overheated real estate sector
It's been the hottest topic for decades, for anyone thinking of buying a house in B.C. Now the regulator for the industry has some recommendations for the Province. John Hua has more on what they're suggesting, and whether it makes any dollars and sense for buyers and sellers. – May 26, 2022

The regulator for British Columbia’s real estate sector has recommended that the province adopt a so-called “cooling-off” period of three business days to protect people buying a home, through legislation tabled this spring.

A report from the B.C. Financial Services Authority says buyers should not be allowed to waive the period in which they would be allowed to back out of a purchase agreement, with exceptions such as court-ordered sales or auctions.

The report released Thursday advises that sellers be required to provide reasonable access for a property inspection during the three-day homebuyer protection period, which would start the day after an offer is accepted.

Other recommendations include a five-day “pre-offer” period after a property is listed, when a seller may not accept any offers, as well as a “modest” termination fee of 0.1 to 0.5 per cent of the price of a home to be paid by buyers who pull out of a deal.

Story continues below advertisement

The B.C. government introduced amendments to property legislation in March and Finance Minister Selina Robinson tasked the independent regulator with consulting real estate industry stakeholders on the parameters of a cooling-off period and other potential measures.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Robinson says the province is reviewing the report and her aim is to move “relatively quickly” with the bill that passed its third reading last month, but the real estate industry also needs time to adjust and adapt to the changes.

Blair Morrison, CEO of the B.C. Financial Services Authority, told a news conference there would be “adjustments” to the current real estate transaction process to bring the homebuyer protection period into force.

Click to play video: 'Feds attempt to dampen hot B.C. housing market'
Feds attempt to dampen hot B.C. housing market

Sponsored content

AdChoices