Contractor without an RBQ licence: the risks for the homeowner

When an RBQ licence is required

According to the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ), anyone who performs or has construction work performed must hold a licence, unless exempted by law. The contractor who works for you must therefore hold a contractor's licence, as must anyone who bids or advertises as one.

The RBQ specifies that the rule is not limited to money: it covers anyone who gets any direct or indirect benefit or advantage from the work. Its example: someone who works for free at another person's home in exchange for accounting services needs a licence. On the other hand, repainting your brother's balcony with no gain other than the satisfaction of a job well done does not require one.

Holding a licence is not always enough: the contractor must also have the subcategories that match the work, and the RBQ provides for significant fines if a holder or their subcontractors don't have the right ones. Electrical, gas and petroleum equipment work always requires a contractor holding the appropriate licence. Exemptions exist (some public bodies, some owner-builders, some contractor partnerships, some farms, some petroleum equipment, a trustee in bankruptcy or a liquidator). Only the RBQ can confirm whether your situation is covered. The guide RBQ licence: subcategories and bond details the categories.

The risks for the homeowner

The RBQ points out that a licensed contractor provides a licence bond, which is used to compensate clients who have suffered a loss, and is subject to RBQ checks. With an unlicensed contractor, these protections are not there. In practice:

• No bond: the RBQ asks you to check that the licence is valid when the contract is signed. The bond covers notably deposits paid, unfinished work and defects discovered within a year after the work is completed, but only for a licensed contractor.
• A report that doesn't pay you back: if the contractor had no licence, you can file a complaint for unlicensed work. According to the RBQ, a complaint serves to document the facts and does not lead to any financial compensation.
• Compensation to be obtained another way: you have to reach an agreement with the contractor, send them a formal demand letter by registered mail, then, if needed, go through the courts.
• Fewer checks: for a licensed contractor, the RBQ has verified that the company's respondents passed an assessment of their competencies. Without a licence, nothing of the kind has been checked.

Three topics depend on your contract and your situation, and we cannot settle them here: the effect on your home insurance, the validity of a contract signed with an unlicensed person and the risk of a legal hypothec. On this last point, Éducaloi explains that the contractor, but also their workers, subcontractors and suppliers, can register a legal hypothec on your property if they are not paid. Ask your insurer and a notary or lawyer before signing.

Check in two minutes

If you have doubts about a record, the RBQ answers at 1 800 361-0761.

The signs that should make you back off

• No licence number on the quote or the contract.
• A number that can't be found in the registry, a licence that is not valid or subcategories that don't match your work.
• A name on the contract that differs from the licence holder's.
• A licence "being applied for": the RBQ advises checking that it is valid when the contract is signed.
• A refusal to write the licence number and the company's legal name into the contract, as the RBQ recommends.
• Subcontractors without a licence or qualifications (RBQ).

If in doubt: what to do

1. Keep the evidence: quotes, emails, messages, photos. The RBQ advises keeping all proof of your exchanges.
2. Report the situation to the RBQ, with the online form for complaints about unlicensed work or by phone at 1 800 361-0761.
3. If you have already signed or paid, contact the OPC (Office de la protection du consommateur) and a legal advisor: direct agreement, formal demand letter by registered mail, then the courts depending on the amount claimed.
4. If the contractor is an itinerant merchant, check their permit in the OPC's "Se renseigner sur un commerçant" tool.

Where SubmitX Network fits in

SubmitX Network is a construction network for Quebec, separate from the SubmitX software. It is closed for now, with a region-by-region waitlist. When it opens, a profile will be able to show "found in the registry" (the licence number exists in the RBQ's public registry of active licences) or "verified" (in addition, the sign-up email matches the company's email in the registry). Neither label is an approval by the RBQ: always check the licence in the official registry before signing. Read Verified profile or found in the registry for the details.

If you have a project, you can join the waitlist for free and will be notified once when your region opens. For the next steps, see Finding a renovation contractor in Quebec.

Key points, to be confirmed

This text is for information; it does not replace legal advice. The RBQ's rules, forms and contact details can change, and licence exemptions are numerous. The passages above were reread on the official pages of the RBQ, the OPC and Éducaloi on October 21, 2026. No fine amounts are cited on purpose: consult the RBQ for the current scales. For your situation, check with the RBQ or a legal advisor.