National Ipsos Survey on Renovation - 7 in 10 Canadians Have Difficulty Finding a Contractor They Can Trust
Toronto & Vancouver: Most Likely to Face Damaging Financial Issues with a Contractor
TORONTO, June 26, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - With construction season in full swing, a new Reno-Assistance survey conducted by Ipsos across Canada has found that two in three Canadians (64%) do not trust general contractors. Confidence levels are even lower for some specialized contractors. The most trusted building professionals among those surveyed are electricians, yet nearly half (47%) of Canadian homeowners do not trust them either.
In Canada, Toronto and Vancouver are the cities with the greatest proportion of people who encounter major problems with renovation contractors (63%) in comparison to other major cities and national data. That said, Vancouverites are less likely than Torontonians to experience more than one major issue on a single project, making the West Coast city runner-up for the very unenviable top spot.
The Reno-Assistance survey reveals that 7 in 10 Canadians have difficulty finding a contractor they can trust for a renovation of $5,000+.
Some key survey findings about different Canadian regions:
- The Atlantic provinces are where major renovations cause the most stress – even more than buying a new property. This, despite being the region with the highest trust and satisfaction levels in the country towards contractors.
- Calgary is the city where price is most important, more so than honesty – which is the most important selection criteria in the rest of Canada.
- Montreal and Vancouver are the champions in mysterious disappearances/theft of belongings over the course of a project. Our survey points to this happening 6% of the time.
- Saskatchewan/Manitoba is the only region where people spend more time choosing a trip abroad than a contractor for a renovation project.
- Toronto is the Canadian city where people are most likely to have their deposits stolen (9% of our sample), get unforeseen extras billed (27%) and require work to be redone due to sloppiness (22%). It is also the city where it's most difficult to find a trustworthy renovation contractor: 78% find it difficult.
If 63% of Torontonians experiencing major problems with their contractor is not shocking enough, this number jumps to 79% for projects greater than $20,000 and carried out in the last 3 years. In other words, if one was to begin an important renovation project with a contractor in Toronto tomorrow, there would be a more than 3 in 4 chance of facing at least one potentially damaging financial issue.
Are Canadians Careful Enough?
Few Canadians make the necessary verifications, such as ensuring the company they are signing with legally exists (16%), has proper insurance (19%), a licence (27%), a clean legal history (14%) and so on. 9/10 people do not look into credit information about their contractor before entrusting them with projects sometimes worth tens of thousands of dollars.
An infographic highlighting more key survey findings can be accessed here: https://www.renoassistance.ca/en/news/ipsos-renovation-survey-infographic/
Reno-Assistance to the rescue
Reno-Assistance was founded by Eric Perigny following a string of dreadful renovation experiences over the course of which he lost thousands of dollars and countless hours dealing with bad contractors. Wanting to help people avoid such nightmarish events, he created Reno-Assistance in Montreal in 2010. Since then, the company has assisted over 64,000 homeowners and business owners on their renovation projects. Reno-Assistance started verifying contractors in Ontario in 2017 and is now offering its services in the Greater Toronto Area.
Methodology
These are some of the key findings of an Ipsos survey conducted on behalf of Reno-Assistance between May 18th and June 6th, 2018. For this survey, a sample of 1,742 Canadian homeowners were interviewed online. Weighting was then applied to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflected that of the adult population (according to Census data). The accuracy of Ipsos online surveys is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the survey is accurate within 2.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including but not limited to coverage and measurement errors.
About Reno-Assistance
Reno-Assistance is an independent company helping homeowners carry out successful renovations with the best contractors. After their initial call, clients are assigned an experienced renovation advisor who assists them throughout their renovation project. They provide advice and information, help clients avoid common mistakes and handpick up to three of the best-suited 360° Verified Contractors for their specific project. They also coordinate appointments and send a verification report containing an exclusive Contractor Confidence Index, a legal background check, a financial health index, past customer survey results and additional information for each contractor. Finally, they help clients understand quotes so they can make a sound decision. There's no fee or charge to receive up to 3 quotes from verified contractors and to be assisted by a renovation advisor.
About Ipsos
Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. Ipsos ranks fourth in the global research industry. With offices in 88 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across five research specializations: brand, advertising and media; customer loyalty; marketing; public affairs research; and survey management.
SOURCE Reno-Assistance inc.
or to request the detailed findings of this Canada-wide survey, please contact: Sean Simpson, Vice President, Ipsos Public Affairs, +1 416 324 2002, [email protected]; Paul Begin, Vice President, Reno-Assistance, +1 514 800-2185 ext 801, [email protected]
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