Frequently Asked Questions

Click Get Quotes, describe your project, and verified local contractors will reach out, usually within 24 hours. The form takes about two minutes: tell us what you want done, where the property is, your rough timeline, and a budget range if you have one. Adding a few photos helps contractors understand the job and quote more accurately. Once you submit, we match your project with up to five verified contractors who cover your area and trade. There is no cost and no obligation: you can compare the quotes, message the pros with questions, and hire only if you find the right fit. See the How It Works page for a full walkthrough.

Yes, NeedReno is completely free for homeowners in both Canada and the United States. There are no sign-up fees, no charges for receiving quotes, and no commission taken from your project. The platform is funded entirely by contractors, who pay subscription and lead fees to be matched with projects. Just as important: you never pay for your renovation through NeedReno. When you hire a contractor, you agree on price and payment terms directly with them, sign your own contract, and pay them directly. That keeps you in full control of your money from the first quote to the final invoice.

We match each project with up to five verified contractors based on trade, location, and availability. When you post a project, our system looks at which approved contractors serve your city, work in the category you need (for example kitchen renovation, roofing, or plumbing), and have capacity for new work. Contractors with strong ratings and fast response times are prioritized. Capping matches at five is deliberate: you get enough quotes to properly compare pricing and approach, without fielding calls from a dozen companies. Only the contractors matched to your project ever see your details.

Every contractor must pass a document review before they can receive a single lead. We check their business licence, confirm they carry active liability insurance, and verify government-issued ID. Our team reviews each application manually rather than relying on automated approval. Verification is a starting point, not the whole story. Contractor profiles also show reviews from real projects arranged through the platform, so reputation is earned job by job. Before hiring, we still recommend the usual good practices: get the scope in writing, check references for similar work, and agree on a payment schedule tied to milestones. Learn more on our Promise page.

Most homeowners hear from their first matched contractor within 24 hours of posting a project. Popular categories such as kitchens, bathrooms, painting, and flooring often see responses within a few hours, while specialized trades in smaller markets can take a day or two longer. Speed also depends on your project description. A clear scope, a realistic timeline, and a few photos make it easy for contractors to say yes quickly. If you have not received quotes within 48 hours, check that your project details are complete, or reach out through the Contact page and our team will take a look.

Aim for three to five photos: wide shots that show the whole space, close-ups of any problem areas, and inspiration images of the look you want. For a bathroom renovation, that might be one photo from the doorway, one of the tub or shower, and a close-up of any water damage. For exterior work, capture the full elevation plus the trouble spots. Good photos let contractors gauge size, condition, and complexity, which means more accurate quotes and fewer surprises later. You can upload straight from your phone camera while standing in the room. Photos are only shown to the contractors matched to your project.

Renovation costs vary widely with size, materials, site condition, and local labour rates, which is exactly why comparing several quotes matters. A cosmetic refresh of a room costs a fraction of a full gut renovation of the same space, and finish choices alone can swing a budget by thousands. Our cost guides give typical price ranges by trade and city across Canada and the US, so you can walk in with realistic expectations before talking to anyone. Then post your project to get up to five real quotes from verified local contractors; actual numbers for your actual home beat any online average. If budget is the constraint, the Financing page outlines options many homeowners use.

Look past the bottom line and compare what each quote actually includes. Check whether materials, permits, disposal, and cleanup are itemized, what brands or grades of materials are specified, how long the work will take, and what warranty the contractor offers on their labour. A quote that seems cheap often excludes items you will end up paying for anyway. Use the messaging thread on each quote to ask questions, and read the contractor's reviews and past project photos on their profile. When two quotes are close, response time and communication quality during quoting are a good preview of how the project itself will go.

You can update or close your project at any time from your dashboard, at no cost. If your scope changes, editing the details keeps incoming quotes relevant. If plans fall through entirely, closing the project stops new contractor matches right away. There is no penalty for cancelling and no obligation to hire anyone, even after receiving all five quotes. If you simply want to pause and revisit the renovation next season, leave the project closed and post a fresh one when you are ready, ideally with updated photos and scope.

Only the verified contractors matched to your project receive your contact details, and only after they accept the lead. Your information never appears in public search results, is never sold to third parties, and is not blasted out to a directory of companies. In practice that means a maximum of five contractors for any project you post. If you close your project, no further contractors receive your details. You can also keep early conversations inside NeedReno messaging until you are comfortable sharing more.

The NeedReno Promise is our commitment to stand behind every project arranged through the platform. It has three parts: contractors are verified before they can contact you, their reputations depend on reviews from real projects, and if something goes wrong our team steps in. Should a project go off the rails, open a dispute from your dashboard. We mediate between you and the contractor, and if the relationship cannot be salvaged we re-match you with another verified pro at no charge. Re-matching is free and unlimited for homeowners. Full details are on the Promise page.

Registration starts from the Get Started button: create your account, build your company profile, and upload your verification documents (business licence, proof of insurance, and government ID). Our team reviews every application manually, and once approved you choose a subscription plan and start receiving matched leads in your trades and service area. A strong profile makes an immediate difference. Add photos of completed work, describe your specialties, and set your service radius accurately. Homeowners compare profiles before responding, so effort you put in up front converts directly into won jobs.

Contractor pricing has two parts: a monthly subscription (Basic, Pro, or Elite) that controls how many lead matches you receive and your placement in search results, and a per-lead fee charged only when you accept a lead. The fee for each lead is shown before you accept, and it scales with estimated project size. Pro and Elite subscribers get 10 and 20 percent off lead fees respectively. You are never charged for leads you decline or ignore. Current plan pricing is on the Pricing page, and there are no long-term contracts: plans run month to month and you can change tiers whenever you like.

Every lead shows you the project details before any fee is charged: the scope description, category, location, timeline, budget signal, and photos the homeowner uploaded. You only pay the per-lead fee at the moment you actively accept, which unlocks the homeowner's contact details and opens a messaging thread. Declining a lead costs nothing and does not hurt your account, though consistently fast, thoughtful responses to the leads you do take improve your standing. If a lead you accepted turns out to contain false information, you can dispute it within 7 days for a credit.

NeedReno operates across Canada (needreno.ca) and the United States (needreno.com), matching projects in cities large and small. As a contractor you define your own service area during setup and can adjust it any time from your dashboard settings, so you only see leads within a distance you are genuinely willing to travel. You can serve multiple cities or regions under one account, and you select the trade categories you want leads in, from kitchen and bathroom renovation to roofing, electrical, and landscaping. Tightening your area and categories usually means fewer but better-fitting leads.

Response speed is the single biggest factor: homeowners consistently favour the contractor who replies first with a thoughtful, specific quote. Beyond that, complete profiles win. Add before-and-after photos of real projects, keep your licence and insurance information current, and describe what makes your company different. Reviews compound over time. Every completed project is a chance to earn a review that appears on your public profile and improves your matching priority. Finally, quote with detail: an itemized scope and a clear timeline outperform a one-line number, even a higher one.

No. All project payments happen directly between you and your client, on the terms you agree in your own contract. NeedReno never processes, holds, or takes a cut of the money homeowners pay you. Your invoices, deposits, and payment schedule are entirely yours to manage. The only charges from NeedReno are your subscription and per-lead fees. This separation is deliberate: it keeps your client relationships fully in your hands and means the platform has no percentage stake in the size of your contracts.

Some listings are created from publicly available business information so homeowners searching for local pros can see a complete picture of their market. If one of them is your company, you can claim the profile for free, take control of the photos and description, and complete verification to start receiving leads. Claiming takes a few minutes from the profile page itself. If you would rather not be listed at all, contact us through the Contact page and we will remove the listing. Unclaimed profiles never receive leads and are clearly distinguished from verified members.

Subscriptions and lead fees are billed to a credit or debit card (Visa, Mastercard, or American Express) through Stripe, our secure payment processor. Card details are handled entirely by Stripe and are never stored on NeedReno servers. Billing happens automatically: subscriptions renew monthly (or annually if you chose annual billing) and per-lead fees are charged when you accept a lead. You can update your card, switch plans, or review upcoming charges any time in the Billing section of your contractor dashboard. Homeowners are never billed anything.

Lead fees become non-refundable once contact details have been delivered, with one important exception: bad leads. If a lead contains false or fraudulent information, for example a disconnected phone number, a fake identity, or a project that clearly does not exist, submit a dispute from your dashboard within 7 days of accepting. Our team investigates every dispute and issues an account credit when the claim checks out. Credits apply automatically against your next lead fees. Note that a homeowner choosing another contractor, or deciding not to proceed, is a normal business outcome rather than a refundable defect.

All your invoices live in the Billing section of your contractor dashboard, covering both monthly subscription charges and individual per-lead fees. Each invoice can be downloaded as a PDF for your bookkeeping, and the history goes back to your first charge. Invoices itemize what you were charged and when, which makes tax time straightforward: platform fees for lead generation are typically a deductible business expense (confirm with your accountant). If an invoice looks wrong, contact [email protected] and we will sort it out.

Cancelling stops future charges but keeps your history intact. Your subscription remains active until the end of the current billing period, after which you stop receiving new lead matches. You keep access to leads you already accepted, existing conversations with homeowners, and your invoice history. Your profile and reviews are preserved too, so if you resubscribe during a busy season you pick up exactly where you left off rather than starting from zero. Downgrades work similarly, taking effect at your next billing cycle, while upgrades apply immediately with prorated billing.

Never. Homeowners pay nothing to post projects, receive quotes, message contractors, use dispute mediation, or get re-matched with a new pro. There is no premium homeowner tier and no hidden fee at any point. All revenue comes from contractor subscriptions and lead fees, which is why quotes on NeedReno carry no markup. Homeowners also never pay for their renovation through the platform: payment for the actual work is arranged directly between homeowner and contractor under their own contract, which keeps NeedReno neutral while you compare quotes.

Start with the Forgot Password link on the login page, which emails you a reset link within a couple of minutes. If the email does not arrive, check your spam folder and confirm you are using the address you registered with. If you originally signed up with a social login such as Google, use that same button rather than a password. Still locked out? Email [email protected] from your registered address with a short description of the problem and we will recover your access. For security, we can only discuss an account with its registered email address.

Everything lives under Settings in your dashboard once you log in. Homeowners can update contact details, password, and notification preferences. Contractors additionally manage their company profile, service areas, trade categories, and subscription from the same place. Notification preferences are worth a minute of setup: choose how you hear about new quotes, messages, and lead matches so urgent things reach you fast without your inbox drowning. Changes save immediately, and profile edits made by contractors appear on their public profile right away.

Oui, and sí. NeedReno.ca serves Canada in English and French, and NeedReno.com serves the United States in English and Spanish. Use the language switcher in the site header to change languages at any moment; your choice is remembered on your next visit. The whole experience is translated: posting projects, browsing contractor profiles, quotes, messaging, and your dashboard. You can also write your project description in whichever language you are most comfortable in. Contractors serving bilingual markets often note their spoken languages on their profile, which is worth checking before hiring.

The whole site works in mobile browsers, no app download required. Posting a project from a phone is actually the best way to do it, since you can photograph the space with your camera and upload straight into the form. Voice dictation through your phone keyboard also works well for describing the project instead of typing. Contractors can review and accept leads, message clients, and manage their profile from a phone as well, which matters when the fastest response usually wins the job. Notifications arrive by email, so nothing depends on being at a desk.

Account deletion requests go to [email protected] from your registered email address, and our team will confirm and process the removal. Homeowners with an open project should close it first so contractors are not left waiting on a reply. Deleting your account removes your personal contact information from active use. Some records, such as invoices for contractors, are retained where the law requires it. If you just want a break rather than deletion, contractors can cancel their subscription and homeowners can simply close their projects; both leave the door open to return later.