Buying a new property means entrusting a company with one of the largest financial commitments of a lifetime. Yet many buyers first compare plans and finishes, and only then the builder itself.
The order should be reversed. A plan can be modified, a ceramic tile can be replaced. A builder who misses deadlines, neglects after-sales service or is not properly accredited leaves marks for years.
Here are the seven checks to make before choosing a new home builder on the North Shore, in Laval or elsewhere in Quebec.
1. Validate the RBQ licence
This is the basic check, and it takes two minutes. In Quebec, every construction contractor must hold a valid licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) suited to the work performed.
The number should be displayed publicly, on the website as well as on contractual documents. You can then validate it free of charge in the RBQ’s online registry to confirm the licence is active and carries no restrictions.
As an example, Habitations PM displays its RBQ licence 5761 9223 01 directly on its company page.
Red flag: a builder who hesitates to provide their licence number or shares it only on request.
2. Confirm APCHQ accreditation and its level
The Association des professionnels de la construction et de l’habitation du Québec (APCHQ) brings together a large share of the province’s residential contractors. Membership itself is useful to know, but it is above all the seniority and recognition level that inform you.
The Master Builder program has several tiers, including Platinum, the highest. It is not awarded for a single good work site: it requires maintaining a consistent standard of quality over several consecutive years. A builder who earned it, and above all kept it, has been evaluated over time.
So ask two things: since when the company has been a member, and at which tier it is recognized.
3. Understand what the GCR warranty covers
The Garantie de construction résidentielle (GCR) is mandatory in Quebec for most new residential buildings. It protects the buyer even if the builder ceases operations. Its coverage has three components:
- 1 year on finishing work and apparent defects
- 3 years on hidden defects
- 5 years on major construction defects
Do not settle for hearing “it’s guaranteed.” Have it confirmed that the builder is indeed accredited with the GCR and that your preliminary contract explicitly mentions enrolment in the warranty plan.
4. Examine the delivery track record
A serious builder can name its projects, locate them and say what became of each one. This is verifiable information: the projects exist, the neighbourhoods can be visited, the owners can be met.
Habitations PM, a division of Groupe PM, is a good example of this kind of documented track record since 1999:
| Period | Milestones |
|---|---|
| 1999 | First projects in Sainte-Adèle, Lachine and Dollard-des-Ormeaux |
| 2005 | Place du Parc and La Volière in Saint-Jérôme, De la Seigneurie Dumont in Lachine |
| 2007 | Large-scale residential development in Vaudreuil-Dorion |
| 2015 | Le Natura in Bois-des-Filion, Le 57 in Saint-Eustache, Le Domaine Vert Nord in Mirabel, Le Roseville in Sainte-Rose |
| 2021 | Cité de la Gare in Sainte-Rose, 100% completed |
| 2026 | Cité du Boisé Dion in Boisbriand, project underway |
A track record like this also lets you do something very simple and very effective: go see the builds delivered five or ten years ago. That is where the real quality of the materials shows, not in a freshly finished model home.
5. Have “turnkey” spelled out
The expression has no legal definition. From one builder to another, it can cover very different realities.
Ask for a written list of inclusions, per model, and specifically check:
- Exterior landscaping: landscaped lot, fence, paved driveway
- The basement: finished or simply insulated
- Air conditioning
- The garage
- Claddings and countertops
These are precisely the items that, when sold as options, turn a controlled budget into a series of unexpected expenses after taking possession. At Habitations PM, exterior landscaping, the finished basement and air conditioning are part of the builds from the start.
6. Talk timelines before talking colours
A delivery delay has a real cost: extended rent, storage, a guaranteed mortgage rate that expires, time off to reschedule.
Three useful questions to ask:
- What is the delivery date in the contract, and what happens if it is exceeded?
- What was the actual timeline on your last three delivered projects?
- Who supervises the work site day to day, and how am I kept informed of progress?
A builder who answers the second question precisely usually has little to hide.
7. Evaluate the support before and after signing
Buying a new property involves a preliminary contract, a warranty plan, a pre-delivery inspection, financing and a notarized signing. A good builder does not leave you to navigate all that alone.
In particular, check whether they maintain established relationships with financial institutions, whether they know the applicable home-ownership programs and whether they support you through to the notarized signing. Also ask about after-sales service: who to call, within what timeframe, and for how long.
Habitations PM at a glance
| Status | A division of Groupe PM |
| In business since | 1999 |
| Licence | RBQ 5761 9223 01 |
| Accreditation | Platinum Master Builder, APCHQ |
| Warranty | GCR plan |
| Areas | Montreal’s North Shore and Laval |
| Construction types | Single-family, semi-detached, townhouses, condominiums, custom projects |
