Toronto-area developer charged in connection with illegal sale of hundreds of homes
Three men are facing a number of charges in connection to a suspended Greater Toronto Area building company which had sold 453 illegal homes, according to the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA).
The HCRA issued a release on Monday which said that seven companies operating under Stateview Homes are also facing charges in connection to the illegal sale of 453 homes.
Dino Taurasi, Carlo Taurasi, and Daniel Ciccone, who were in charge of the companies, 'have also been charged for failing to take reasonable care to prevent these violations,' according to the construction watchdog.
'The charges follow an HCRA investigation that uncovered hundreds of violations of the New Home Construction Licensing Act, 2017 and the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act,' a release from the HCRA read.
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The company allegedly sold dozens of homes while not being licensed or getting proper approvals or enrolments in Ontario's new home warranty program for hundreds of homes even after the builder obtained a licence.
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'Ontario homebuyers deserve confidence that their builder is acting in good faith and complying with the law,' says Moir.
'When builders fail to meet their legal obligations, the HCRA will take every necessary step to hold them accountable, protect consumers, and maintain confidence in the new home marketplace.'
The HCRA said that it suspended licences of the Vaughan-based homebuilder back in 2023, in a move to protect consumers, before it began to investigate whether to pursue charges against the men and the businesses.
The authority posted a document in connection with the 2023 suspension which said that 689 homes had been sold by the companies which had collected just under $70 million in deposits. The money was allegedly gone while none of the homes had been built.
The group was alleged to have sold homes to people on land which it did not own, and to have taken out $300,000 from one of the companies despite the fact it was heading into receivership.
A majority of the companies involved went into receivership in 2023.
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