3. Cancel your contract

Any notices of security interest (NOSIs) that companies have already put on homes are now expired. This means that a home service company cannot use a NOSI to make sure they get back any money that you owe them.

But if you signed a contract with a home service company to rent equipment from them like a water heater or furnace, you may still need to make your rental payments to the financing company.

It's a good idea to ask a lawyer about whether you can cancel your contract. If you are an older adult with a low-income, you may be able to get free legal help from the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE). 

If you have a contract with the financing companies, Financeit Canada Inc. or VaultPay, you may be able to join a class-action lawsuit against them. ACE is working with Sotos Class Actions to bring a class-action lawsuit on behalf of homeowners. You can find out more here.

Rules about cancelling a contract

In Ontario, there are rules to protect you when you buy, lease, rent, or finance products or services from a door-to-door salesperson. The rules apply if the total charges are more than $50 before taxes.

Sellers are not allowed to use unfair practices to convince you to buy their product or service. Unfair practices include making false or misleading statements.

For example, sellers must not tell you that:

• the product is of better quality than it really is
• the offer is only available for a limited time if that is not true
• you need the product when you really do not
• you are getting a special price or benefit when they are really offering the same thing that you can get somewhere else

It is also an unfair practice when sellers:

• take advantage of a language difficulty that you may have
• take advantage of a physical, mental, or emotional disability that you may have
• charge you much more than what is reasonable for their product or service
• pressure you to buy goods or services that they know you cannot afford

If the salesperson used an unfair practice, you can cancel the contract at any time up to one year after you made the agreement. In some circumstances, you may be able to cancel the contract beyond the one-year period.

To cancel a contract, you need evidence to show that the seller used unfair practices. The more evidence you have, the easier it will be to prove your case.

Evidence can include:

• emails and phone records
• letters and notes
• contracts or written agreements
• photos and videos