Vancouver, British Columbia
How do I check a bathroom renovation contractor in Vancouver?
A bathroom renovation in Vancouver usually touches three regulated trades at once: plumbing (a city permit), electrical (Technical Safety BC) and sometimes gas. Each has a record you can check for free before the deposit, and the quote should say who is doing each part.
The free steps
1. Start with the exact name on the quote
Write down the business name exactly as the quote prints it, including Ltd., Inc. or a number. A trade name, a numbered company and a sole proprietorship can all be registered under other words, so if a search shows nothing, ask the contractor which name and number appear on their registration or licence before you read anything into it.
2. Check the Vancouver business licence
A business working in Vancouver needs a City of Vancouver business licence, or a Metro West inter-municipal business licence, which lets a trades business based in Burnaby, Delta, New Westminster, Richmond, Surrey or Vancouver work in all of them. Search the exact name on the quote and read the licence type and expiry; if it is not there, ask which city issued their licence and search that city.
Official source: Business licences for building trades (Metro West inter-municipal business licence) (City of Vancouver; checked 2026-10-26).
3. Check the business is registered in BC
Search OrgBook BC for the exact name. The licensed name, the registered name and the name on the quote should line up; three names that do not are the first question to ask.
Official source: OrgBook BC: search registered BC organizations (BC Registries, through OrgBook BC; checked 2026-10-20).
4. Plumbing: ask who pulls the plumbing permit
The City of Vancouver needs a plumbing permit to install, change or upgrade any part of a plumbing system; replacing a fixture in the same place, or a valve or faucet, does not. A contractor applying for the permit needs a City of Vancouver or inter-municipal business licence. Only the owner living in a single family detached house can take out the permit without one. Ask who is pulling the permit and whether the inspection is in the quote.
Official source: Plumbing permit (City of Vancouver; checked 2026-10-26).
5. Electrical: a fan, lights or a heated floor
New lighting, an exhaust fan, outlets or a heated floor is electrical work. When a licensed contractor does it, the contractor takes out the permit; owners of a strata unit or a non-strata duplex cannot take out a homeowner electrical permit. Search the business that will do the electrical part in Technical Safety BC's find-a-licensed-contractor tool and check its class is electrical.
Official source: Electrical homeowner permits (Technical Safety BC; checked 2026-10-26).
6. Gas: moving a line or a water heater
If the job moves a gas line or a gas water heater, that part needs a gas contractor licensed by Technical Safety BC. Look for the licence number on the quote or the ad and search it.
Official source: Find a licensed contractor (Technical Safety BC; checked 2026-10-20).
7. Read the quote for what a bathroom quote leaves out
A bathroom quote you can compare names who does each trade, the waterproofing behind the tile and under the shower, the allowances for tile, fixtures and the vanity, who supplies them, what happens if rot or old wiring turns up when the walls open, the payment stages, and the warranty. A missing line is a question to ask before you sign, not a finding.
8. In a strata, ask the strata first
If you live in a condo or townhouse, ask the strata corporation what its bylaws require before plumbing or electrical work starts, and give the contractor a copy of any conditions.
9. Ask for the certificate of insurance from the broker
Ask the contractor to have their insurance broker send the certificate of insurance straight to you. Check that the named insured matches the business on the quote, that the policy is in force for the dates of your project, and that the coverage type is liability for the work being done. A photo of a certificate from the contractor's phone is weaker evidence than one sent by the broker.
10. Look at the deposit before you pay it
Work out the deposit as a percentage of the total and ask what it pays for and when the next payment is due. The Government of British Columbia's building-or-renovating pages explain what to settle before work starts. Jay's free deposit checker runs in your browser and keeps nothing you type.
Official source: Building or renovating (Government of British Columbia; checked 2026-10-20).
11. Search public tribunal and court decisions for the business name
Search the Civil Resolution Tribunal's decisions and CanLII for the exact business name. A decision names the parties and what the tribunal found; read it rather than the headline, and remember that a business with many years of work may appear once for reasons that have nothing to do with you.
Official source: CRT decisions (Civil Resolution Tribunal; checked 2026-10-20).
12. Know what the free search cannot show
A licence or a registration says the business holds permission under that name today. It does not show whether past work was good, whether the insurance is in force, or whether the quote covers what you think it does. Those are the insurance and quote steps, and they take a few minutes more.
Questions people ask
Does a bathroom renovation contractor need a licence in Vancouver?
The business needs a City of Vancouver or Metro West inter-municipal business licence. The plumbing permit is applied for by a contractor holding one of those licences, and the electrical and gas parts need contractors licensed by Technical Safety BC. One business may hold all of these, or use licensed subcontractors for some.
My renovator says the plumber and electrician are subcontractors. Is that normal?
It can be. Ask for each subcontractor's business name and licence number, and search those too; the permit should be in the name of a business that holds the right licence.
Do I need a permit to replace a toilet or a vanity?
The City of Vancouver's plumbing permit page says replacing a fixture in the same place does not need a permit, and moving or adding one does. The city's page, not this guide, says what applies, and the contractor should know before they quote.
What does a Jay check add?
Jay searches the Vancouver business licence, OrgBook BC and Technical Safety BC for the exact name on your quote, with the source and the time checked for each, and her report says plainly when a record is not found. The Full Check also reads your quote and insurance certificate against the records, and a person reviews every Full Check before it goes out.
Or ask Jay
Jay does these steps for you and writes up what the records show, with the source and date for each finding. The $39 Full Check (no tax added) also reads your quote and insurance papers, and a person reviews every Full Check before it goes out. The $19 Quick Check is opening soon.
Order a Full CheckSee a sample Full Check
Three quotes. One Jay check. Then the deposit.
Information, not a verdict. A record that is not found is not evidence of wrongdoing, and nothing here is legal, insurance or safety advice.
Published 2026-10-26; sources last checked on the dates shown beside each step.