Choosing a contractor for your home renovation project

In Québec, all natural and legal persons that do home renovation work for you are required to hold a Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) licence. 

Ask your contractor for their licence number and check our repertory to see if it’s valid:

Check a licence [Fr]

In addition to holding a valid RBQ licence, your contractor must have the subclasses required for the contracted work. To learn more about subclasses, take a look at our Keyword Index.

Why does the licence matter?

By choosing a contractor with a valid RBQ licence, you’re sure to be dealing with a company:

• that offers licence security, an amount provided to compensate clients who have suffered harm based on set criteria and amounts
• that has passed the RBQ’s verifications
• whose guarantor(s) passed their professional competency evaluation.

Some contractors are also subject to a continuing education requirement.

Other relevant information in our repertory

Our repertory also shows the number of licence security claims made against the contractor and the compensation paid to previous clients by the contractor’s guarantor over the past 5 years. Watch out—these claims mean the contractor breached the contract and failed to refund the client.

Registre des entreprises du Québec

Checking the Registre des entreprises du Québec (REQ) allows you to see:

• whether the enterprise is registered
• its address
• when it was created
• its officers’ names
• other names it uses
• whether its REQ declarations are up to date.

Note that the contractor may not have a REQ file if they work alone in their company.

Office de la protection du consommateur

By consulting the Get Information About a Merchant tool on the website of the Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC), you will find among other things the formal notices your merchant has received and the notices of violation the OPC has issued in the past 3 years. 

Nothing beats word-of-mouth, so ask around! If no one you know has a contractor to recommend, don’t be shy to ask multiple contractors for customer references.

Note that though they may be convenient, agencies that connect you with contractors often don’t offer any additional guarantees or protection in the event of an issue.

We recommend asking at least three contractors for quotes. That way, you’ll be able to compare:

• how well each contractor understands your needs
• how clear and detailed the quotes are
• the materials used
• the proposed schedules’ accuracy and the work start and end dates
• the work cost and payment terms
• the guarantees offered on top of the licence security.

All verbal agreements between you and your contractor should be recorded in writing. Visit our Signing a contract page for a list of things you can include in your contract to better protect yourself.

Make sure that the name of the contractor on the contract matches the name of the company holing the licence. Check the Licence holder’s repertory to do so.

If in doubt regarding the contracts, visit the Office the protection du consommateur website for tips.

Renovations are a big investment of time and money. Take the time to properly analyze your options and contract before hiring a contractor.

Itinerant merchants

Contractors sometimes go door-to-door to offer services like:

• roof replacement 
• heat pump or AC unit installation 
• solar panel installation
• door and window replacement
• water heater installation
• etc.

Don’t get pressured by the merchant into making a decision. Many companies use dishonest sales tactics for these types of contracts. 

If you’re interested in an itinerant merchant’s services, take down their contact information and then take all the steps listed above before signing a contract.

You should also check the Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC) website to make sure they have an itinerant merchant permit.