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A contractor took my deposit and disappeared. What can I do in Ontario?

Researched by the LokalMatch editorial team1 answer

Deposit paid in the spring, no work done, calls and emails unanswered since.

Answers (1)

  1. LokalMatch EditorialLokalMatch editorial

    Write to the business first, then file a complaint with Consumer Protection Ontario, which contacts the business on your behalf and tries to find a resolution. The complaint goes to the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement, by mail or email, and the form is on Ontario’s site.

    Send it with documents: the letter you wrote to the contractor and any reply, the contract or other agreement if one exists, and copies of invoices, records of payments and any other correspondence. A complaint with the paper trail attached goes somewhere. One without it usually does not.

    Consumer Protection Ontario is not a court and cannot order your money back. If the business will not settle, what is left is civil — and the file you assembled for the complaint is the same file you would need for that. Ontario also keeps a public record of consumer protection enforcement actions, which is worth searching for the business name before you decide how much energy this is worth.

Answers come from pros and are reviewed by LokalMatch before they’re published. They’re general information — for regulated or safety-critical work, have a licensed professional assess your situation.

Sources

Where the facts on this page come from.

  1. Filing a consumer complaint — Government of Ontario (accessed September 21, 2026)

  2. Consumer complaints and enforcement — Government of Ontario (accessed September 21, 2026)