How do I check a garage door repair company in Vancouver?

The free steps

1. 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. 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. 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. 4. Opener wiring: the electrical part is Technical Safety BC's

   Technical Safety BC licenses electrical, gas, elevating devices, and boilers, pressure vessels and refrigeration. A garage door and its springs are not on that list, so most repairs need no Technical Safety BC licence. If the quote includes a new circuit, a new outlet or hard-wiring an opener, that part is electrical work: search the business that will do it in Technical Safety BC's find-a-licensed-contractor tool.

   Official source: Find a licensed contractor (Technical Safety BC; checked 2026-10-20).

5. 5. Get the price in writing before the work starts

   Ask for a written quote that names each part (the spring type and size, cables, rollers, the opener make and model), the labour, any service-call or trip fee, and what happens to the price if more parts are needed once the door is open. A price given over the phone and a different one at the door is a question to settle before anyone starts.

6. 6. Read the warranty wording

   Parts and labour are often warrantied separately and for different lengths of time. Ask who honours the parts warranty (the company or the manufacturer) and get both in writing on the quote or invoice.

7. 7. 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.

8. 8. Look at what you pay before the work is done

   Many repairs are paid on completion; a new door or a new opener may be ordered with a deposit. Work out any deposit as a percentage of the total and ask what it pays for. 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).

9. 9. 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).

10. 10. 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.

Every step for a contractor in Vancouver

Related guides

• How do I check a bathroom renovation contractor in Vancouver?
• How do I check a Technical Safety BC licence number on a quote?
• How do I verify a contractor's certificate of insurance?

Questions people ask