Crown Crest Capital and Your Ontario HVAC Contract
A finance company that holds and collects on long-term Ontario HVAC and home equipment contracts, including agreements originally sold under brands such as National Home Services.
Crown Crest Capital is a finance company that holds a large volume of long-term Ontario HVAC and home equipment agreements, many of which were originally sold under installer brands such as National Home Services. Crown Crest typically did not appear at the original sale — homeowners often discover the company only when statements begin arriving from it.
Under Ontario law, when an underlying agreement is challengeable because of how it was sold, the rights of the assignee are no greater than the rights of the original seller. A contract held by Crown Crest Capital can still be addressed even though Crown Crest was not the seller.
Our position is not that Crown Crest engaged in wrongdoing at the original sale. Our position is that the underlying agreement was unenforceable under the 2018 amendments, and that conclusion travels with the contract.
Also known as: Crown Crest, Crown Crest Financial.
What These Contracts Typically Look Like
- Long terms — frequently 10 to 15 years
- Payments collected by Crown Crest after the agreement is assigned
- Total obligations far in excess of the equipment's installed value
- Property registration on title placed at the time of the original sale
- Buyout amounts that remain high for most of the term
What We Hear from Homeowners
- Statements arriving from Crown Crest without the homeowner realising the contract had been assigned
- Difficulty obtaining clear answers about how to end the agreement
- Buyout figures that bear little relationship to the equipment's true value
- Lien on title discovered at refinance or sale
- Confusion about which entity to address — installer, Crown Crest, or both
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 Crown Crest Capital) 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 to Crown Crest.
Unsolicited Contact
If the original sale was at the door, the agreement may be unenforceable, and that conclusion travels with the contract.
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 Crown Crest Capital Is Collecting on Your Agreement
- 1Locate the original installer agreement, not just Crown Crest statements.
- 2Photograph the data plates on the installed equipment.
- 3Check your title for any registration.
- 4Let us address Crown Crest and the original installer on your behalf.
- 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
- 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 Crown Crest Capital Statements Enforceable?
If Crown Crest Capital is collecting on your HVAC contract, the underlying agreement may still be challengeable.