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◆ Home renovation agreement · PDF + DOCX · free · not legal advice

A renovation contract template written for Canadian jobs.

Fourteen plain-English clauses covering the things that actually go wrong on a renovation: scope creep, payment timing, holdback, hidden rot, who pulls the permit, and what happens if someone walks. Free PDF or Word file. Have a lawyer read it before you rely on it.

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Preview of the free home renovation contract template
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Free for any contractor to use, edit and put their own name on. Not legal or tax advice — rules differ by province and state.

What's in it

The fourteen clauses, and what each one protects

Parties, property and scope

The contract points at the attached estimate as the scope. Anything not in the estimate is excluded unless a signed change order adds it.

Price and payment schedule

Deposit, progress draws, balance on substantial completion, and a holdback line with a release period — the mechanism Ontario's Construction Act and other provincial lien laws expect.

Changes to the work

No changed work without a priced, signed change order. Pair it with the change order template.

Schedule and unforeseen conditions

Start and completion dates that can move for stated reasons, and a clause for the rot, mould, asbestos or bad wiring nobody could see.

Permits, materials and allowances

Who applies and pays for permits, that materials are new and as specified, and how allowance items settle up or down.

Insurance and workers' coverage

General liability and provincial workers' compensation (WSIB in Ontario), with certificates on request. The client is reminded to check their home insurance.

Warranty, cancellation and disputes

A workmanship warranty period you fill in, a cancellation clause that respects provincial cooling-off rules, and mediation before anything else.

How to use it

Notes from the estimating table

A handshake and an estimate is how most small renovation jobs start, and it works right up to the day it doesn't. The contract does not need to be long. It needs to say what the price includes, when money changes hands, how changes are handled, and what happens when a wall opens up and the joists are gone.

This template is written in plain English for a homeowner to read in ten minutes, because a contract the client does not read is a contract you will be explaining in a dispute. Every blank must be filled. Rules on consumer cooling-off periods, licensing, and lien holdback differ by province, which is why the first thing on the page is a warning to have a lawyer look at it.

In Estiquik, a contract is drafted from the estimate on the Pro plan, sent for e-signature, and the signed copy is filed with the job alongside every change order. The template is free for anyone.

Before you ask

Questions contractors ask

Is this contract valid in every province?

It is a general Canadian template. Contract law, consumer protection, licensing and lien rules are provincial, and some are strict: Ontario's Construction Act sets holdback at 10% for 60 days, Quebec has its own civil-law regime, and several provinces give homeowners a cooling-off period for agreements signed at home. Have a lawyer in your province review it. This page is not legal advice.

How much deposit can I ask for?

There is no single national rule. A deposit that covers materials ordered before work starts is common practice; some provinces limit deposits on certain consumer contracts, and Ontario's Tarion rules apply to new homes rather than renovations. Put the number in the contract and say what it covers.

What is holdback and do I have to keep it?

Holdback is a share of each payment retained until the lien period after completion has passed, so subcontractors and suppliers who were not paid have something to claim against. Ontario requires 10%; other provinces have their own rules. The template has the blanks; your province's law fills them.

Can I use this for a commercial job?

It is written for residential renovation with a homeowner as the client. Commercial work usually calls for a CCDC form or a lawyer-drafted agreement.

Does Estiquik replace this with something automatic?

On the Pro plan a contract is drafted from the estimate, sent for e-signature with an audit record, and filed with the job. The template here is free and needs nothing from us.

The other three

More free templates

Free change order templatePDF, DOCX · freeFree renovation estimate templateXLSX, PDF · freeFree contractor invoice templateXLSX, PDF · free

Or let the software fill it in

Estiquik builds the estimate, turns it into the invoice, the contract and the change orders, and fills in your province's tax. Free plan, no card.

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