Alberta
Hiring a contractor in Alberta: what to check first
This one is written for homeowners rather than businesses. We film a lot of trades in Alberta, and the contractors doing it properly all say the same thing. The customers who ask the boring questions early are the ones who end up happy.
Everything below comes from the province's own guidance on hiring a contractor, not from us.
Check coverage before anything else
Ask for the Workers' Compensation Board number and an insurance certificate showing public liability and property damage coverage. This is not paperwork for its own sake. If someone is injured on your property working for an uncovered contractor, the exposure can land on you.
Ask for the numbers and check them. A contractor who is properly covered will hand them over without any friction, because they get asked regularly.
The prepaid contractor licence
This is the one most homeowners have never heard of. If a contractor takes payment before the work is finished, they need to be licensed as a prepaid contractor in Alberta and post security. Service Alberta has a tool to check whether a business holds that licence.
It takes a couple of minutes and it is the single most useful check available before money changes hands.
Get it in writing, and get the right things in writing
A written contract is the province's clear recommendation, but a one page quote with a number on it is not a contract. What it should actually spell out is a detailed description of the work with blueprints where relevant, the type and quality of the materials, whether any of the work is being subcontracted and to whom, who is responsible for pulling permits, a statement that the work will meet local codes, an itemised payment schedule including any holdback provisions, what the warranty covers and for how long, the certificate of insurance, the WCB number, your cancellation rights and how disputes will be handled.
If a contractor resists putting any of that on paper, that is your answer.
Permits are your problem until they are written down
Check with your municipality about whether permits and inspections are needed before work begins. Then make sure the contract names who is responsible for getting them.
Unpermitted work has a way of surfacing years later when you sell, and by then the contractor is long gone.
The warning signs
The province specifically flags contractors who come door to door, who quote without visiting the site, who will not put the agreement in writing, who give a post office box rather than a real address, and who demand a large down payment to buy materials.
Add one from experience. Anyone who needs an answer today is managing your decision rather than your project.
Ask for references and actually call them
Ask to see recent work similar to yours and to speak to those homeowners. Then call. Ask about how the timeline held up, how communication went when something went wrong, and whether they would hire them again.
The last question is the useful one. Almost nobody has a project with no surprises. What separates good contractors is what happened next.
Why a content company is writing this
Because we spend our weeks filming inside trades businesses in Alberta, and the good ones are frustrated by the same thing. They lose jobs to whoever quotes lowest, including people who are not carrying coverage and are not pulling permits.
A homeowner who knows what to ask is the best thing that can happen to a contractor doing it properly.
Common questions
How do I check if a contractor is legitimate in Alberta?
Ask for their Workers' Compensation Board number and an insurance certificate showing public liability and property damage coverage, then verify them rather than taking the paperwork at face value. If the contractor is taking payment before the work is complete, Service Alberta licenses prepaid contractors and you can check that licence before handing over money.
What has to be in a contract with a contractor in Alberta?
Alberta's guidance is to insist on a written contract covering a detailed description of the work, the type and quality of materials, whether any of it is being subcontracted, who is responsible for permits, a statement that the work meets local codes, an itemised payment schedule including any holdbacks, the warranty and how long it lasts, the insurance certificate, the WCB number, your cancellation rights, and how disputes get resolved.
Is a large deposit normal?
A contractor demanding a large down payment to buy materials is listed by the province as a warning sign. Some deposit is ordinary on a large job, but the payment schedule should be itemised in the contract and tied to progress rather than handed over up front.
Do I need a permit for my renovation?
That depends on the work and the municipality, and it is on you to find out rather than assume. Check with your local government before work starts, and make sure the contract says explicitly who is pulling the permit.