Rental and door-to-door contract traps, liens on title, warranties, installation failures, complaints and where to check the rules in each province.
Most expensive heating problems in Canada are not about the equipment itself. They come from contracts: a water heater or furnace rental that is costly to leave, a door-to-door "inspection" that ends in a long lease, a notice of security interest registered on the home's title, or a warranty that was never registered. Others come from installation: an oversized heat pump that short-cycles, an outdoor unit buried by snow, or a refrigerant leak from a poorly made connection.
The pillar guide, HVAC problems and official sources, maps each problem to the body that can help and links to every guide here. Then read about rental water heater and HVAC contracts in Ontario, the Ontario door-to-door ban on furnaces and water heaters, notices of security interest, heat pump and furnace warranties, common installation failures and how to complain about an HVAC contractor.
This is general information, not legal advice. Cancellation periods, limitation periods and warranty claim windows can be short, so for a large dispute speak to a lawyer (or a notary in Quebec) early.
Contract Traps, Failures and Official Sources
What Ontario's 2018 ban on unsolicited door-to-door contracts for furnaces, air conditioners and water heaters covers, why such contracts are void, and rules in Quebec, BC and Alberta.
Contract Traps, Failures and Official Sources
How manufacturer parts warranties, contractor labour warranties, extended plans and provincial legal warranties work for heat pumps, furnaces and boilers in Canada.
Contract Traps, Failures and Official Sources
Common heat pump and furnace installation failures in Canada, from oversizing, snow and ice and poor defrost drainage to refrigerant leaks and wrong controls, and how to get them fixed.
Contract Traps, Failures and Official Sources
A step-by-step route for disputes with furnace, heat pump and water heater contractors in Canada, from written demand to consumer offices, safety authorities, RBQ security and small claims.
Contract Traps, Failures and Official Sources
The most common heating contract and installation traps in Canada, matched to the guide that explains each one and the federal and provincial bodies that can help.
Contract Traps, Failures and Official Sources
What a notice of security interest (NOSI) for HVAC or water heater equipment is, what Ontario's Homeowner Protection Act, 2024 changed, and how to deal with one when selling or refinancing.
Contract Traps, Failures and Official Sources
How water heater and HVAC rental contracts work in Ontario, the true cost of renting versus buying, buy-out and removal fees, and the consumer law that protects you.
