Door-to-door renovation scams: warning signs and rights

As the cold arrives, some sellers offer a free attic inspection, find a “serious problem” and propose decontamination and insulation work on the spot. In January 2026 the Régie du bâtiment du Québec published a warning (in French) about these high-pressure sales. Since November 2024 the law goes further: several of these contracts are simply banned at your door.

1. Warning signs

• An unsolicited visit or call offering a “free” inspection, assessment or survey.
• An alarming diagnosis and a promise of big heating savings.
• A seller who claims to represent the RBQ, Hydro-Québec or a subsidy program: according to the RBQ, no public body solicits consumers directly to promote its programs. Check your eligibility for any assistance yourself.
• Pressure to sign right away, or to start the work the next day.

2. Heat pumps, insulation, decontamination: contracts banned at home

According to the Office de la protection du consommateur, since November 7, 2024 an itinerant merchant may not sign a contract at your home for a heating or air-conditioning appliance, a decontamination service or an insulation service, nor a maintenance or warranty contract tied to them. Credit and long-term lease contracts are banned too, with exceptions (page Prohibited contracts, updated May 28, 2025).

The exceptions mostly cover visits you asked for yourself: insulation, if you explicitly requested the visit and were not solicited; replacing an appliance essential for heat or hot water, if it cannot be repaired and you ask for the contract; an estimate at home that you requested without the merchant contacting you first. A contract signed despite the ban can be cancelled within one year of signing.

3. Before you sign

• Check the company’s RBQ licence and its subclasses (insulation falls under subclass 7).
• Check the itinerant merchant permit and the complaint history with the merchant lookup tool (“Se renseigner sur un commerçant”) of the Office de la protection du consommateur. According to the OPC, the permit shows that a security was provided; it does not guarantee that the seller is honest or competent.
• Insist on a detailed written contract with a schedule. Anything promised verbally must be written in it.
• Take the time to get other quotes: see comparing quotes.

4. Your rights if you signed at home

A contract with an itinerant merchant can be cancelled at no cost and without giving a reason within 10 days, starting the day after you receive your signed copy. The period becomes one year in some cases, for example if the merchant had no valid permit, if the contract leaves out required information or if it is a prohibited contract. It is wiser to pay nothing and not let the work start before that period ends. To cancel, notify the merchant in writing, ideally by registered mail, using the form attached to the contract or a letter; the merchant must refund you within 15 days (page Cancelling a purchase made from an itinerant salesperson, updated May 27, 2025).

Door-to-door soliciting rules in Montréal, Longueuil and Vaudreuil-Dorion

On top of the OPC permit, cities regulate door-to-door selling, and the rules vary widely. In Montréal they are set by the boroughs: the City’s page on permits to distribute advertising material (in French, updated January 14, 2026) states that door-to-door soliciting needs a permit for each person doing it and is allowed only from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; check the conditions in your own borough. In Longueuil, according to the information sheet on itinerant sellers (in French, November 2022), the Vieux-Longueuil borough by-law requires sellers to carry their permit and show it on request, and bars them from soliciting where a “no soliciting” sign is visible, on Sundays and holidays, and from Monday to Saturday between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m.

A municipal permit is no seal of quality: Vaudreuil-Dorion’s By-law 1562 (in French) states that a permit holder may not claim the City vouches for their competence or solvency. A clearly visible “no soliciting” sign is still a simple way to say no. For a heat pump, you contact the companies yourself, for example heating and cooling companies in Montréal; for other work, see renovation companies in Boucherville or licensed companies in Longueuil.

5. Report it

A suspicious seller can be reported to the RBQ (online complaint form or 1 800 361-0761) and to the OPC, which also takes complaints about merchants without a permit or about soliciting for heating, air conditioning, decontamination or insulation.

For real insulation work, read our guide Insulating the attic. When you are the one who starts the process, you can describe your project and compare quotes at your own pace.