By Gazette Staff
July 15th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
For many, a home is the biggest and most important purchase they will make. Because of this, safety should be a top priority. While many buyers and sellers do their due diligence, the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) recently conducted an investigation revealing potential safety risks from unpermitted electrical work.
First – find out if you need a permit. City or Town Hall should be able to tell you.
A recent investigation of 211 real estate listings across 11 Ontario municipalities, including Burlington, found 128 homes where electrical work was possibly performed, and of these, a staggering 62% of properties did not have an electrical permit filed for the work.
Unpermitted work can lead to serious consequences, including electrical shocks, fires or even fatalities, and result in costly repairs for unsuspecting homebuyers. To protect homebuyers current or future home, ESA reminds the Burlington community to:
Always check with the Electrical Safety Authority to confirm electrical permits were taken out and closed for any recent work done in your new home.
Ask for a Certificate of Acceptance when the job is done (an important document for insurance and resale purposes).
When considering any renovations, find or verify a Licensed Electrical Contractor for the work. By law, only Licensed Electrical Contractors (LEC) can be hired to do electrical work in your home in Ontario. They’re trained, insured and file ESA electrical permits to ensure safety and code compliance.
Make sure your LEC takes out an electrical permit from ESA.
Ask for a Certificate of Acceptance when the job is done (an important document for insurance and resale purposes).
Awareness is important. Once the homeowners of the properties investigated had a visit from an ESA inspector, 61% obtained an electrical permit for the work.
There is more on electrical work being done without a permit – part two will follow soon.
