BC, Alberta and Ontario
What should I do before paying a contractor a deposit?
The whole afternoon's work in one list. Each line links the guide that walks through it with the official source; the province pages carry all of them in order.
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 registry
OrgBook BC, Alberta's registry agents (or Canada's Business Registries first), the Ontario Business Registry. Read the status, the type, the number.
Official source: Canada's Business Registries search (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada; checked 2026-10-20).
3. Check the city business licence
Where the city publishes one, search the exact name and read the type and the expiry.
4. Check the trade regulator where the work needs one
Technical Safety BC, the ESA, Alberta's Tradesperson Lookup Tool; the business, not just the person.
5. Taking money before the work is done? Check what your province requires
In Alberta, the prepaid contracting licence; everywhere, the province's consumer-protection page.
Official source: Prepaid contracting licence (Government of Alberta; checked 2026-07-15).
6. 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).
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. Read the quote for what it leaves out
A quote you can compare names the parties, the scope of work, what is excluded, allowances, payment stages, the change process and warranty wording. Note anything missing as a question to ask before you sign; a missing line is a question, not a finding.
9. 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).
10. Get the receipt in the registered name
A payment you can trace, with a receipt that carries the registered business name and number, is one you can stand behind later. Ask for it before any money moves.
Questions people ask
How long does this take?
An afternoon by hand, with the official sources linked from the province pages on this site. Jay does the record checks in minutes and, in the Full Check, reads the quote and the insurance certificate against them.
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 2026-10-20; sources last checked on the dates shown beside each step.