Consumers’ Use of Small Claims Court in Construction Disputes

Author

Cécile Pilarski

Organization

Association des consommateurs pour la qualité dans la construction

Published

2013

Summary

This study proposes to identify the results of a research study conducted regarding submissions to the Small Claims court by consumers facing construction or home renovation disputes. This research adopted an approach focused on the consumer in order to answer the following questions:

• How do Small Claims courts function in different Canadian provinces?
• What are the legal regulations which apply to construction or renovation disputes that consumers can turn to in order to assert their rights in court?
• What information is provided to citizens to help them in this process?
• What results are obtained by citizens before the Small Claims court?

In addition to conducting classical research to identify the legal regulations governing the Small Claims courts and the construction field, this study is based on an empirical analysis of the Québec Small Claims court case law. The review of minutes from this court’s rulings on construction disputes (for 2011) allowed Association des consommateurs pour la qualité dans la construction (ACQC) to make observations and explore avenues of thought to comprehend consumers’ behaviour and challenges encountered more fully.

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OCA Funded Research
This research received funding support through the Office of Consumer Affairs' Contributions Program.

Contact information

Source: Consumer Policy Research Database