Integri-T: Up to $50,000 of Hidden Defect Protection

The hidden defect is the best-documented nightmare in the Quebec real estate market. Water infiltration behind a finished wall. A foundation that is shifting. A non-compliant electrical system covered up by a cosmetic renovation.

The Civil Code of Quebec is clear: the seller must warrant the buyer against hidden defects. In practice, enforcing that right usually means an expert report, a formal demand, a lawyer, and sometimes three years of proceedings for an uncertain result. On both sides, everyone loses.

Integri-T was designed to avoid that scenario.

What changed on October 1, 2026

The program changed partners. Since October 1, 2026, Integri-T is offered in collaboration with GBQ, Garantie des bâtiments, an independent surety company based in Laval and active in Quebec and Ontario. It replaces ACQ Résidentiel, which administered the program until then.

Three things to take away from that change:

• The price went down, on both sides of the transaction.
• The contact information changed. The program’s old phone number and old website are no longer the right ones.
• The forms and the warranty text were replaced. An Integri-T document dating from before October 2026 is no longer the one that applies.

If someone told you about Integri-T last year, or if you have an old brochure lying around, check the version before trusting the numbers.

What it is

Integri-T is RE/MAX Québec’s hidden defect warranty program, offered in collaboration with GBQ.

The program provides financial protection of up to $50,000 over a period of 3 years following the signing of the deed of sale. It applies to the buyer and the seller alike, and it is transferable to the next buyer if the property is resold during the coverage period.

One distinction that matters: GBQ is a surety company, not an insurer. It stands as guarantor for the legal warranty obligations that fall on the seller. This is not a home insurance policy, and it does not replace yours.

What is covered

The official list of eligible items covers most of what is expensive to repair:

• Foundation, structure, concrete slab, French drain (when supported by an inspection report)
• Building envelope, roofing, insulation and attic
• Exterior walls and exterior cladding
• Doors and windows
• Interior walls and architectural elements, floor covering
• Mold and rot resulting directly from a hidden defect
• Plumbing elements, components and piping
• Heating and ventilation systems and equipment, furnace, heat pump
• Electrical systems
• Detached garage

These are not theoretical categories. They are the items that actually show up in inspection reports and in hidden defect lawsuits.

What is not covered

No warranty covers everything, and this one is no exception. Coverage applies to the main building. Outdoor features and accessories, along with certain specialized equipment, are excluded, as are damages caused by normal wear, inadequate maintenance, or a loss that belongs to your home insurance.

The warranty is also complementary: if another warranty applies to an item, that one must be used first.

The warranty text contains the complete list of conditions, limitations and exclusions. I hand it to you and go through it with you before you commit, not after. A warranty whose exclusions you discover at claim time is not worth much.

What it changes for the buyer

You are buying a property that is 20, 40 or 60 years old. The pre-purchase inspection was done properly, but an inspector cannot see behind a wall, under a slab or inside a closed cavity. That is the structural limit of the exercise.

With Integri-T:

• You have financial security in the event of a hidden defect claim.
• You avoid court costs and duelling expert reports, which often exceed the cost of the repair itself.
• You know, before signing, what the ceiling of your financial exposure is.
• If you resell within the three years, the warranty follows the property and becomes a selling point.

One point buyers often misread: the warranty applies to what was hidden. A defect the inspector saw, noted and described in the report is no longer a hidden defect. It becomes information you had when you made your offer, and that is the moment to deal with it.

What it changes for the seller

This is the part many sellers do not realize.

• The warranty attracts more buyers, faster. A buyer hesitating over an older property becomes a reassured buyer.
• It justifies your price. You are not discounting your property to compensate for uncertainty.
• It limits your liability to the first $5,000 on a recognized claim. Beyond that, the program takes over.
• It reduces your financial obligations regarding defects you did not know about yourself.

Selling a 45-year-old house without a safety net means accepting years of exposure to a claim whose timing and size you do not control. Integri-T closes that door.

What it costs

Unlike Tranquilli-T, this warranty is not free. Since October 1, 2026, prices have come down on both sides:

Both cases exist. The seller can offer it to the buyer to make the property more attractive and cap their own liability. The buyer can also pay for it, provided the seller agrees to add it to the promise to purchase.

One exclusion to know before you start visiting: a property sold without legal warranty is not eligible for Intégri-T, and no amount paid by either side changes that. The reason is structural. GBQ stands surety for the seller’s legal warranty obligations; a sale at the buyer’s own risk removes precisely those obligations. Nothing is left to stand surety for. If a property you want is listed without legal warranty, the risk has to be handled another way: through the inspection and through the price. That is the subject of sale without legal warranty.

These are starting prices: the exact amount depends on the file, and rates can change without notice. Ask me for the current schedule before you decide, and weigh that amount against what a single hidden defect claim would cost.

Eligibility conditions

The type of building. The program covers residential buildings: single-family, semi-detached, intergenerational, multiplex, townhouse, four-season cottage, and isolated country homes that are heated and maintained year round. Commercial or mixed residential-commercial buildings may also be accepted. In a co-ownership, the unit is treated as the main building.

The age of the building. New construction still covered by the new residential building warranty plan becomes eligible once that coverage period has elapsed. The two regimes do not overlap.

The inspection report. This is the condition most often missed. For the warranty to take effect, a recent pre-purchase inspection report, produced by a building inspector who belongs to a recognized association, must be sent to the program, which then rules on the building’s eligibility. No inspection, no warranty.

The timing. The warranty must be put in place before the notarial deed is signed, and the clause must appear in the promise to purchase or the counter-proposal. Once the deed is signed, there is no catching up.

A building left vacant, neglected or under repossession proceedings is not eligible. Neither is a property sold without legal warranty.

If a hidden defect is found

The path has four steps, and none of them goes through a courtroom:

1. Claim. You report the problem, in writing and without delay. Timing matters: a defect reported late can void the coverage.
2. Handling. The file goes to experts who establish the nature and extent of the defect.
3. Conciliation. Both parties are supported, each on their own side, toward a common position.
4. Resolution. The claim is settled according to the terms of the warranty.

No lawyer’s fees, no court proceedings, and a relationship between buyer and seller that stays liveable. That is exactly what a hidden defect lawsuit destroys first.

My role in this

In concrete terms, the value I add here is a matter of timing and vigilance.

As soon as we discuss an eligible property, I raise Integri-T. Not at signing, not once everything is settled: at the beginning, while there is still time to get the inspection done, build the file, obtain approval and fold the clause into the promise to purchase.

It is also why I push sellers to consider the warranty even when they see no immediate benefit. A protected property sells better, and the seller who put the warranty in place sleeps better for the next three years.

Official contact information

The program is administered with GBQ, Garantie des bâtiments:

• Official program page: remax-quebec.com/integri-t
• Email: info@integri-t.ca
• Phone: 1 844 321-6611 or 450 628-6611

If you are considering buying or selling a property in Greater Montreal, Laval, the Laurentians or Lanaudière, let’s discuss Integri-T before the calendar decides for us.