has ruled<\/a> that the British Columbia <\/i><\/b>Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act\u00a0<\/i>requires home renovation contractors to include a project completion date in contracts with clients. Failure to do so entitles the client to cancel the contract at any time within one year of its signing, with a full refund and no deductions.<\/p>\nThe defendant in the case was a B.C. company contracted to build a sunroom in late 2021. Ten months later, no work had begun on the project and no building permit had been issued. The defendant cited rising costs and supply chain issues related to COVID and asked for additional payment to complete the work. The homeowner then cancelled the contract and asked for the deposit back. The defendant refused, citing planning and design work already done and parts already fabricated. So the homeowner sued and the court found in their favour because the contract had not included a completion date.<\/p>\n
The defendant argued in the case that asking for a completion date in construction contracts is unreasonable due to the uncertainties inherent in the business. The court rejected this argument on the grounds that the Act<\/em> does not specify how far out the completion date may be, nor does it prevent contractors from including clauses allowing for the date to be adjusted or work suspended contingent on circumstances.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
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A provincial court in B.C.