Equitable Renovations Limited Consumers Guard Limited equitablerenovations.ca Home Remodelling Scam Toronto Ontario

Dear Astrid Manzanares,

My wife and I entered into a construction contract witih Mr. Jordan Ovejas representing your company, Equitable Renovations Limited.  In the contract dated March 17, 2020, it states that the following would be performed:

*The kitchen and bathroom flooring would be installed with wood vinyl flooring tiles

*The main floor would be installed with vinyl hardware

*The upper floor would be installed with vinyl hardware

*All flooring would be levelled witih baseboard installation

*The kitchen would be renovated (including new cabinets, countertops, backsplash, sink, faucet, plumbing, electric work and new fridge)

*New windows and doors (8 windows and 4 doors replacement)

*Bathroom glass door removal and installation of shower cover

We understand that the two week province wide seclusion from the COVID-19 in mid-March and the continuing precautions from the pandemic would have caused a delay in work, however after the province reached stage one and then two, we placed numerous calls to Mr. Jordan Ovejas and Julien inquiring the date when the home renovations would take place.  My wife and I, along with my daughters were met with calls that went to voicemail with no callback, was told it would begin in the next two weeks, or given vague emails and text messages. 

We sent a demand letter dated August 25, 2020 via registered mail to Mr. Jordan Ovejas witih no response.  An email was sent to Equitable Renovations Limited from my daugther on September 22, 2020, stating that we must receive the name of the subcontractor with verifiable references, pictures of their completed work with a date and time our home renovations would begin.  Your email response were from that date has been poorly written, vague and at times contradicting.  Another email was sent September 23, 2020 as an addendum to the previous email requesting the appraisal documentation completed by Mr. Jim Condor of Appraisal Services Limited.  In your response you stated we would have to contact the appraiser, in which we were told it was Mr. Jordan Ovejas who had the document forwarded to him.  We have not received any further response via letter, email or text as requested.

Under the Consumers Protection Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c.30 Schedule A, it is an offense to mislead a client under a contract.  We felt pressured into entering into a home equity loan and pursuing home renovations, because my wife and I are elderly and have been mortgage free.  In the Consumers Protect Act, it also protects the consumer if he or she is unable to protect his or her interests because of disability, ignorance, illiteracy, and inability to understand the language of an agreement, which occurred.

We no longer trust your company nor wish to continue working with Equitable Renovations Limited as you have breached the construction contract dated March 17, 2020.  Equitable Renovations Limited breached the contract by not completing our home renovations with the seven month timeframe, as well as not providing the information requested in the emails sent as noted in the second paragraph of this letter.  False information was given by the contractor, Mr. Jordan Ovejas and Julien of Equitable Renovations Limited to my wife and I, as they made a representation that the home renovations would be done, knowing it would not be performed.  As per our legal rights under the Consumers Protection Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c.30, Schedule A, we are hereby cancelling the construction contract dated March 17, 2020 as of September 30, 2020. 

As you may have questions, our lawyer's information is as follows:

Karen Morimoto

Startek, Peglar & Calcagni, LLP

952 Queenston Road

Stoney Creek, Ontario   L8G 1B7   Phone:  905-662-7101   Fax:  905-662-7727   Email:  kmorimoto@spclaw.ca