Canadian Home Improvement Credit Corporation (CHICC) and Your Ontario HVAC Contract
A finance company that holds and collects on long-term Ontario HVAC rental and financing agreements originated by other sales organisations.
Canadian Home Improvement Credit Corporation — known as CHICC — is a finance company that holds and collects on a large number of long-term Ontario HVAC rental and financing agreements. CHICC did not sell these contracts at the door; the underlying sales were originated by separate installer organisations and the agreements were later assigned to CHICC for financing and collections.
Under Ontario law, when an underlying agreement is challengeable because of how it was sold, the rights of the assignee (the finance company) are no greater than the rights of the original seller. That means a contract held by CHICC can still be addressed even though CHICC was not present at the original sale.
Our position is not that CHICC engaged in wrongdoing. Our position is that the underlying agreement was unenforceable from the outset under the 2018 amendments, and that includes the version of the agreement now held by CHICC.
Also known as: CHICC, Canadian Home Improvement Credit Corp.
What These Contracts Typically Look Like
- Long terms — frequently 10 years or more, sometimes with renewal language
- Monthly payments collected by CHICC even though the original sale was by a different company
- Total obligations regularly far in excess of the equipment's installed value
- Property registration on title (NOSI prior to the 2019 ban, or similar lien-style filings) placed at the time of the original sale
- Buyout amounts that remain high for most of the contract term
What We Hear from Homeowners
- Discovery, sometimes years in, that the contract is now held by CHICC rather than the company that sold it
- Confusion about which entity to address to end the agreement
- Buyout quotes that bear little relationship to the equipment's true value
- Lien on title discovered at refinance or sale
- Statements that continue even after the original installer has gone silent
Which 2018 Amendments Are Likely to Apply
The 2018 amendments to Ontario's Consumer Protection Act identify several practices that can render an HVAC agreement unenforceable. Where the underlying agreement (now held by Canadian Home Improvement Credit Corporation (CHICC)) was originated through any of these practices, the same conclusions apply:
Unconscionable Pricing
Pricing set in the original agreement remains subject to the 2018 amendments after assignment.
Unsolicited Contact
If the original sale was at the door, the agreement may be unenforceable, and that conclusion travels with the contract when it is assigned.
Misrepresented Energy Savings
Misrepresentations made at the original sale remain part of the contract record.
Unfulfilled Maintenance
Maintenance promises in the underlying agreement remain enforceable obligations.
Only one of these grounds needs to apply for the agreement to be challenged successfully.
What to Do If Canadian Home Improvement Credit Corporation (CHICC) Is Collecting on Your Agreement
- 1Locate the original agreement (not just CHICC statements) so the underlying contract can be reviewed.
- 2Photograph the data plates on the installed equipment.
- 3Check your title for any registration tied to the agreement.
- 4Let us address CHICC and the original installer on your behalf — you do not need to call them yourself.
- 5Book a free, confidential review.
Public Record
You do not have to take our word for any of this. The pattern is well documented in:
- Ontario consumer protection enforcement actions concerning rental and financing agreements
- CBC and Toronto Star reporting on Ontario HVAC rental and finance practices
- Better Business Bureau records concerning underlying installer companies
Is the Underlying Agreement Behind Your Canadian Home Improvement Credit Corporation (CHICC) Statements Enforceable?
If CHICC is collecting on your HVAC contract, the underlying agreement may still be challengeable. We will tell you in a single free conversation.