Toronto Renovation Contract Checklist: What Should Be in Writing

The agreement should show the contractor’s legal or business name, address, contact information, and the name the homeowner will use for notices and decisions. Confirm who manages the site and who is authorized to approve changes on each side.

List the sub-trades that are known and who pays them. Electrical, gas, plumbing, HVAC, engineering, and design work may require licensed or qualified people and separate permits or inspections. “Trades included” is less useful than naming the work, responsibility, and allowance or price attached to it.

Room names alone do not define a renovation. For a kitchen, state whether the layout changes, which wall or opening work is included, how many cabinets are assumed, who supplies appliances, whether flooring continues into adjacent rooms, and whether electrical service or ventilation changes are part of the price.

For an addition or whole-home project, drawings and specifications should be identified by date or revision. That keeps an early sketch from being mistaken for the final construction scope. Where a detail is not decided, use a clear allowance or state the decision deadline instead of pretending it is fixed.

An allowance is a placeholder for a product or task that is not fully selected. It should say what it covers, the amount, whether tax and delivery are included, and how credits or overages are handled. A plumbing-fixture allowance should not quietly exclude valves, drains, delivery, or installation if the homeowner expects a working bathroom.

The closer allowances are to the products the homeowner is likely to choose, the more useful the contract total becomes. Before signing, test the large allowances against real cabinet, appliance, flooring, tile, lighting, and fixture selections. A low placeholder can make one proposal look cheaper without making the final project cheaper.

Ontario’s consumer guidance recommends keeping down payments to a minimum and suggests no more than 10%. It also advises homeowners not to pay the full contract amount before the work is finished. The exact payment schedule still needs to match the project, procurement, and applicable law.

A workable schedule connects payments to defined milestones or dates and explains what documentation accompanies each invoice. It should identify the deposit, progress payments, allowance adjustments, taxes, approved changes, and the amount due at closeout. Avoid a schedule built only around vague percentages such as “when halfway done.”

Renovations uncover concealed conditions and homeowners sometimes change selections or scope. The contract should explain how a change is described, priced, approved, and added to the schedule before revised work proceeds whenever safety and site conditions allow.

Ontario says that when an estimate forms part of the contract, the final price for the goods and services cannot be more than 10% above that estimate unless the customer agrees to new work or a new price and signs a change. A signed change should show both cost and timing, not just a text message saying “go ahead.”

The contract should state expected start and completion dates or a method for setting them. It should also identify dependencies such as permits, design decisions, owner selections, product lead times, access, inspections, concealed conditions, and events outside either party’s control.

A schedule can be clear without pretending every renovation ends on an exact day months in advance. Define the sequence, decision deadlines, normal working hours, notice for delays, and how approved changes affect completion. That is more credible than an aggressive date with no assumptions behind it.

State who moves furniture, protects floors and occupied rooms, controls dust, removes waste, provides temporary services, and performs final cleaning. If the family remains in the house, identify the spaces and utilities that may be unavailable and any homeowner responsibilities before work begins.

The agreement should describe written warranties, their limits, and the process for reporting an issue. Handover can include inspection sign-offs, manuals, paint or tile information, warranty documents, access credentials, and a written deficiency list. These details are easier to agree on before construction than during the final invoice conversation.

Ontario states that a renovation or repair contract worth $50 or more that is signed in the consumer’s home has a 10-calendar-day cooling-off period. Work requested and provided during that period can affect what reasonable compensation is owed if the contract is cancelled.

Contract type and circumstances matter, and a major project may justify legal review before signing. This guide is practical planning information, not legal advice. Homeowners and contractors should use current Ontario guidance and obtain professional advice for their agreement when needed.