Before you say yes: check the quote for red flags
Some features of a quote are officially listed warning signs, and some are just how the trade works. Describe the quote you were given and see what Ontario's consumer protection ministry actually says about each part, with the source, verified 2026-07-17. It checks the quote, not the business: that check comes after, by name.
Describe the quote in your hand
Answer what applies. Each answer is read against what Ontario's consumer protection ministry actually says, with the source. Skip anything you are unsure about.
Answer any question to see what the official guidance says about it.
Then check the business itself
A clean quote from the wrong business is still the wrong business. Check the business by name on the public evidence, line your quotes up side by side, or see the exact deposit rules where you are. Or browse contractors with public evidence.
Common questions
Is a big deposit a red flag?
At 50 percent up front, most of the money would move before any work. Canada does not have one nationwide statutory cap on renovation deposits. In Ontario, provincial guidance recommends keeping the down payment to 10 percent or less, but that recommendation is not a legal cap. Your province's rules and the written contract decide what protects the money, so check them before anything moves.
The contractor knocked on my door. What are my rights?
Ontario's consumer protection guidance singles out door to door offers for water heaters, heating and cooling and other home services as a common pattern that goes wrong, and Alberta requires a bonded prepaid contracting licence before a door sold contract can take any money up front. In Ontario, an eligible contract signed in your home carries a 10 day cooling off period: you can cancel without reason or penalty, starting when you receive your written copy of the contract. Other provinces run their own direct-agreement rules; Quebec and Alberta each have cancellation rights for contracts signed away from the seller's premises.
They only take cash. Is that a problem?
A contractor who will only take cash leaves no payment trail and sits outside card and bank protections. Ontario's renovation guidance is built around written contracts and traceable payments.
Is a discount for cash a red flag?
A discount for cash is not in itself against the rules. The pattern to watch is cash ONLY, with no paper trail.
This is guidance from the public rules and official consumer guidance, not legal advice. It describes the features of a quote as you entered them; it says nothing about any named business. Rules change and cooling off rights carry exclusions, so check the cited official page before you rely on any single rule.
More ways to check who to trust
Free, independent checks. No ads, no paid placement.
- Cowboy Checker
Spot the warning signs of a dishonest business before you hire.
- Compare Quotes
Enter the names from your quotes and line them up on the public evidence.
- Company Health Check
Check whether the company behind a business is active, dissolved, or in liquidation.
- Certifications
The certifications, licences and registrations we have found in public sources, and what each one means.
- Contractor Rules by Province
Deposit rules, licence requirements and cancellation rights in your province, cited to the law.
- Rating Reality Check
Where a rating and review count really sit against the market's full distribution.
- Check Before You Hire
The official registers that cover each trade here, with the public entries we have found for each.
- Licence Check
A licence number from a van or quote, checked against every public register included here in one search.
- Emergency: Who to Call
Gas smell, power cut, burst pipe: the official number to call first, from the official pages.