Heating and air conditioning repair persons must abide by certain obligations.

Check whether the merchant holds the required authorizations

Heating systems and heat pumps are repaired by master pipe mechanics. These mechanics must hold a licence from the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec (in French only).

If electrical work is required to repair your appliance, the repair person must hold a licence from the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec (in French only).

Any person who repairs an air conditioning system must have a refrigeration licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec.

Check whether the repair person has civil liability insurance

If the repair person is insured, you will be better protected in the event that any of your property or that of a neighbor is damaged or if a person is the victim of an accident at your home.

Is an itinerant salesperson offering their services to clean or maintain your heating or air conditioning appliance? Just say no. It’s illegal.

Itinerant merchants are not allowed to enter into or be involved in entering into contracts that concern heating or air conditioning appliances. This applies to any contract related to any of these goods, such as a maintenance or warranty contract.

Refer to the page on contracts that are prohibited by itinerant sale to find out more.

A repair person must provide a written estimate to repair an air conditioning appliance or a heat pump when the costs for a repair are estimated to be higher than $50.

This estimate must be provided free of charge, unless the repair person indicated the exact cost before doing so.

What if you have signed a printed document rejecting the need for such an estimate? Such a document has no legal value. To reject an estimate, you must write a document yourself and sign it.

Information contained in an estimate

The estimate provided for the repair of an air conditioning appliance or heat pump must contain the following information :

• your name and that of the merchant;
• a description of the appliance to be repaired;
• a description of the repairs and the total cost;
• the estimate date and the period for which it is valid.

Authorizing the repair

The repair person must obtain your authorization before proceeding with repair work. Additionally, they cannot perform any repairs that were not specified in the estimate without your consent.

The repair person cannot ask for more than the amount stated in the estimate. Only the cost of additional repairs authorized by you can be added.

Getting replaced parts back

When you authorize the repair person to do the work, you can also ask them at that moment to give you the parts that were replaced. The repair person must agree with your request, unless :

• the repair work is done for free;
• the defective parts are replaced by refurbished parts;
• the repair person must send the defective parts back to the manufacturer or distributor because a repair is under warranty.

Warranty on repairs

A repair person is not required to provide an estimate when a repair is done for free, such as when it is under warranty.

Prohibited practices

Regardless of the appliance to be repaired, all misleading business practices are prohibited. For example, a repair person breaks the law if they pretend a part is needed for a repair when it is not.

Appliances not covered by the law

You can ask merchants or repair people to provide you with an estimate before having any other appliance (furnaces, solar panels, etc.) repaired. Although the law allows them to refuse your request, merchants or repair people concerned about keeping their customers will agree to provide one.

A repair person must provide an invoice after repairing an air conditioning appliance or heat pump. The invoice must include :

• your name and that of the merchant;
• a description of the repaired appliance;
• the repairs performed;
• the parts that were replaced and their corresponding prices, including details regarding whether the parts were new, used, or refurbished;
• the number of labour hours, the hourly rate, and the total labour costs;
• the amount of applicable taxes;
• the warranty details;
• the total cost.