FAQs

Professional liability insurance is a form of insurance that protects architects against claims by clients and third parties. It is also sometimes referred to as “errors and omissions” insurance and is intended to provide protection necessary to defend and settle claims arising out of design services, field reviews and other services customary to architects. Professional liability insurance provides protection to the public through financial remedies for legitimate claims.

The mandate of the AIBC is to regulate the profession of architecture in B.C. in the interest of the public. Mandatory PLI provides access to financial remedies for persons with legitimate claims, and thereby provides at least a minimum level of protection to the public.

PLI is a risk management tool; it protects policy holders from the costs of defending and paying damages for claims. If you practice as an architect, you are exposed – a standard PLI policy provides the financial protection of coverage against claims.

Architects practising architecture under a Certificate of Practice (CoP) are required to obtain insurance. Architects doing work that does not require a CoP, or working for CoP holders, would be exempt from obtaining insurance.

As per Council Rules 8: Terms and Conditions for Mandatory Professional Liability Insurance, the minimum amount of PLI coverage is $250,000 per claim, with an annual aggregate limit of not less than $500,000. Coverage must be in place for all projects undertaken by the firm in British Columbia during the certificate of practice period.

Yes. For administrative efficiency and, to ensure insurance coverage continuity, firms are highly encouraged to align their insurance policy with the February 1 AIBC annual renewal deadline. Please be reminded that the February 1 deadline is fixed per the Architects Act, Section 72 (3). Simply contact your insurance provider to work out the details.

During each Annual Renewal Cycle starting with the Firm Update in October, Certificate of Practice holders will be asked to produce a copy of their professional liability insurance to confirm compliance with AIBC Bylaw 16.1.1 and Council Rules 8: Terms and Conditions for Mandatory Professional Liability Insurance.

The policy certificate needs to be submitted to the AIBC by February 1 – the same deadline as Annual Renewal. Failure to do so may will result in the matter being directed to the professional conduct department.

You may upload your updated PLI certificate anytime during the year by logging into your firm’s online account.

No. Though AIBC’s regulatory jurisdiction is limited to British Columbia, insurers are not geographically restricted. Insurance policies can cover projects in other provinces and elsewhere (ie. Washington state). Be sure to clearly review the geographic scope of your coverage with your broker to ensure you are appropriately covered.

Yes. The Certificate of Practice expired as of February 1, 2019. All Certificate of Practice holders are required to obtain insurance. Any complaint or allegation related to non-compliance with PLI submitted to the AIBC will be investigated following the AIBC Illegal Practice Process.

Further to the procedure embedded in Council Rules 8: Terms and Conditions for Mandatory Professional Liability Insurance(PDF), the firm must immediately notify the Institute, in writing, and provide written confirmation of return to PLI compliance within 10 days of the non-compliant event. Fees may apply for non-compliance with the Rules and the lapse would be reported to the professional conduct department for review and investigation.

Many Architects AIBC who practice outside of B.C. are already familiar with mandatory or compulsory PLI. Please talk with your insurance broker in order to determine if your existing policy has the appropriate insurance coverage applicable to B.C. projects. If coverage is provided for BC projects, we will accept coverage provided by captive insurers in other provinces.

It may be possible for a ‘third party’ to maintain insurance coverage for the architectural services you provide, but several conditions are necessary to ensure compliance with AIBC bylaws:

• An architect’s services must always be provided through a certificate of practice; and
• The insurance coverage must satisfy all bylaw and rules requirements, including:
  • minimum coverage thresholds ($250,000/$500,000);
  • coverage for all projects undertaken in British Columbia; and,
  • the ability to fulfil notice requirements in the event coverage lapses or falls below minimum thresholds.

While such coverage appears possible under the current PLI requirements, caution is recommended.

First, an architect not holding the policy directly is unlikely to have any control over renewal and other provisions that might affect compliance. Second, such coverage would presumably only address projects undertaken by or on behalf of the third party. The architect would not be covered for any project not covered by the policy held in other hands, and would be non-compliant by undertaking any architectural services outside of the policy coverage. Finally, in order to receive protection for claims made directly against the architect and firm under the policy, the architect will have to ensure ‘named insured’ status within the policy.

Go to the login page and click “Forgot your Logon ID?”.  Enter the email address attached to this account (the one that received the invoice) and a new password will be sent to that email address automatically. If you have several accounts attached to this email address, it will reset all of them. You will receive an email with the login for each account. The password will expire by the end of day, so ensure you log into your account and reset the password on the same day.

Please email accounts@aibc.ca for further assistance.

Login to your account. Once logged in, you can click on the invoice number to view/print the invoice from the “My account” section.

Login to your account. You can access your record and update your contact information. Your mailing address can be updated from the “Change Address” section, and email address in the “Change Contact Info” section.

Fees must be received in full by 5 p.m. on February 1.  This is a requirement set by the Architects Act; it is a firm deadline without excaibc eptions.

• Online payments, using credit card or PayPal, are accepted until 11:59 p.m. on February 1. You are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to make payments and avoid waiting until close to the deadline.
• If you are paying by cheque sent in the mail, the letter must arrive before the close of the business day at 5 p.m. on February 1. Mail arriving on February 2 or later will be considered late, regardless of the postmark date on the envelope. Cheques postdated after February 1 are also considered late. Please allow adequate delivery time so that your mail arrives before the deadline.
• If you are paying in person, the payment must arrive before the close of the business day at 5 p.m. on February 1.

The renewal notice sent by email includes instructions for three methods of payment:

• Online (preferred) with Visa, MasterCard or PayPal. Using the AIBC’s confidential and secure online system, enter your Logon ID and password at: https://aibc.memberpro.net/ssl/main/body.cfm?menu=login.
• By mail with a money order in Canadian funds or cheque from a Canadian bank (in Canadian funds), to the AIBC office. Please include either a copy of the invoice or your invoice number with your money order or cheque. Please allow for sufficient delivery time so that payment arrives before the deadline.
• In person using cash, debit or credit card at the AIBC office during regular business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

As mandated by the Architects Act, Section 72 (3), annual renewal fees must be paid in full on or before February 1.

• As per section 73 (1), a member or associate who fails to pay the annual fee on or before February 1 will cease to be in good standing.
• Additionally, the renewal fee will increase by 25 per cent.
• If annual renewal fees remain unpaid in full, the protocols under 73 (2) to suspend a member will be applied, and that person will cease to be a registered architect or associate in British Columbia. There is no discretion in this matter as it is established by statute.

Yes. If someone else is paying on your behalf using the online method, you will have to provide them with your logon ID and password. They can pay online using a credit card or PayPal. The credit card or PayPal account does not have to be your own.

If someone else is paying on your behalf with a money order or cheque, they will need to attach a copy of the invoice or note the invoice number (from the emailed renewal notice) along with the payment. The cheque doesn’t have to come from your bank account.

If someone else is paying on your behalf in person, they will need a copy of the invoice or the invoice number.

AIBC Council approves the budget and establishes the fees. The schedule of annual renewal fees can be found in Bulletin 1: Fees, Fines and Charges. Questions about fees can be submitted to council at president@aibc.ca.

Refer to Bulletin 3: Waiver or Reduction of Annual Fee (PDF) for information on waivers or reductions of the annual renewal fee for financial hardship, family leave (including maternity and parental leave) or medical disability. The completed application form contained in the bulletin should be mailed or emailed directly to the Director of Registration & Licensing at registration@aibc.ca, and be marked “Confidential.”

Please refer to the section for Retired Architects on the website.

Resignations must be submitted in writing and mailed to the AIBC office or emailed to accounts@aibc.ca before February 1. Please review Bulletin 5: Resignation of Registration (PDF) for full details.

The three steps below are applicable to Architects AIBC;  Bulletin 5 also includes resignation details for honorary members and associates.

Steps for Architect AIBC

1. You can either resign fully or request a change of status to Retired Architect AIBC.
2. If you were issued a stamp or seal, you must return them to the AIBC.
3. If you hold of a Certificate of Practice you will be required to close the architectural firm or to identify the Certificate of Practice holder assuming those obligations.

Refer to Bulletin 2: Reinstatement of Registration (PDF) for details and fees.

An Application for Reinstatement (PDF) is available from the AIBC website.

Make sure you are logged into your Firm Account, as the Firm Update is not accessible through a member (individual architect) account.  If you have forgotten your firm Logon ID or password, you may retrieve it by clicking “Forgot your Logon ID?” on the Login page, and then entering the firm administrator address when prompted.

If you are logging into the firm account for the first time, you will first need to retrieve your firm logon by clicking “Forgot your Logon ID” on the Login page and entering the firm administrator address when prompted.

This may impact the amount of your annual renewal invoice. Please advise AIBC Licensing Coordinator Kim Underwood at firmupdates@aibc.ca.

Even if the information the AIBC has on file for your firm is correct and no changes are required, Firm Administrators still need to provide confirmation that the information on record is current and accurate. To do this, Firm Administrators need to login and confirm each section is correct.

If you would like to change your firm name, type, or structure, please complete the Application for Architectural Firm Changes (PDF). You are not able to make these types of changes as part of the firm updates as they require review and approval by the AIBC.

AIBC Bylaw 15.3 requires all firms to complete an annual firm update by the date set for this regulatory requirement. If there are firm changes after this deadline, firms may still log into their accounts and update the corresponding information.

A pop-up confirmation message will appear after clicking the “Submit” button. In the title bar at the top of the page, “Firm Update Pending” will change to “Firm Update Completed.”  You may also check your firm listing in the online directory, as all changes made in the firm update are immediately reflected, except changes to firm address.