What happens to my rebate if my contractor in Abbotsford goes out of business?

That said, the rebate mechanics work the same way across BC, and the short answer is: your rebate is usually safe, but you may need to do some legwork.

What Happens to a BC Rebate When a Contractor Closes

The rebate belongs to you, not the contractor. Both BC Hydro's Home Renovation Rebate and the CleanBC Energy Savings Program pay out based on your application, your invoice and your installed equipment. If you submitted the application yourself and the rebate was approved, the money comes to you regardless of what happens to the company afterward.

The risk is timing. If your contractor submitted the application on your behalf and then closed before the rebate was paid or before the required documentation was filed, you may need to step in and complete or re-submit the application yourself. Contact BC Hydro or Better Homes BC as soon as you know the contractor is gone and explain the situation. Program administrators deal with contractor failures occasionally and can usually tell you what paperwork they still need from you.

A few practical things to gather right away. Locate your original invoice showing the equipment model, capacity, serial number, installation date and the contractor's business name. Find the equipment's energy efficiency rating documentation (the contractor should have left this, or the manufacturer can provide it). If a rebate application was already submitted, get the application or confirmation number. If the work included a Technical Safety BC inspection, find the inspection certificate, since that proves the installation was completed to code and is often required for a rebate claim.

One complication worth knowing: if the contractor was a member of a required contractor network (BC Hydro's Home Performance Contractor Network, for example) and the rebate depended on that membership, you may find the program requires the installer to have been a member at the time of installation, not at the time of your claim. As long as they were a member when the work was done, you should still qualify. Confirm this directly with BC Hydro.

Warranty is a separate concern. The equipment manufacturer's warranty on parts typically survives the contractor's closure, but the labour warranty does not. A new contractor can service the equipment; just expect to pay for any call-outs that would otherwise have been covered.

Before your next contractor visit, have your invoice, inspection certificate, equipment serial numbers and any existing rebate correspondence in one folder. That lets a new contractor or a program administrator pick up where things left off without delay. If you need a local HVAC contractor to service or finish the work, Vancouver HVAC Pro can connect you with contractors in the area to get things sorted.