Choosing a contractor

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 can check, among other things, whether your contractor has received formal notices from customers or whether the Office has intervened with your contractor in the course of its monitoring activities (non-compliance notice, criminal prosecution, etc.). 

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. Never sign anything under pressure. It’s the best way to protect yourself!

Itinerant merchants

Has a door-to-door salesperson shown up on your doorstep unannounced? When dealing with this kind of merchant, be cautious and do your homework.

Itinerant merchants are prohibited from entering into certain home renovation contracts, including those involving:

• heat pumps
• air conditioners 
• decontamination or insulation services

This also includes credit contracts and long-term leases.

Is the itinerant merchant offering goods or services they are permitted to sell? Never rush into a decision because of a pushy contractor. Instead, 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’s (OPC) Get Information About a Merchant tool to make sure they have an itinerant merchant permit. The OPC website also includes many tips on what to do before purchasing from an itinerant salesperson.