Your cart
Close Alternative Icon

Licensed Electrical Contractor- Electrical and lighting contractor

Arrow Thin Left Icon
Licensed Electrical Contractor- Electrical and lighting contractor

How you can find out a difference between someone who is a qualified electrician versus a Licensed Electrical Contractor?

Always ask for their electrical contractor’s licence number from ECRA/ESA. It should be on their business card, estimate and their vehicle. Also, make sure to get an ESA Certificate of Inspection when the electrical work is complete, for your records.

Have you asked yourself, where can i find a certified residential or commercial electrician near me?

You have probably hired an electrician who offered their services and the results were impressive. It is also likely that you called in an electrician who messed up with your electrical systems for your home or for your business. The kind of results you get from an electrician depends on how you go about selecting the contractors. There are mistakes people make, which make them suffer losses because they picked the wrong electricians. You want to make sure that you only hire electrical contractors in Toronto that can handle the job.

Licensed electrician contractor

Price is an important thing to consider, but it should not be the only element to decide if you choose an electrician or not. Think of incorporating other aspects such as license, experience, recommendations, and the ease of communication by the electrician. Remember that you get what you pay for. If you want to get the best results in electrical projects, don’t just think of the lowest price.

Hiring an Electrician

Electrical work is dangerous and always best left to a Licensed Electrical Contractor with the expertise, equipment and training to do the job safely. Licensed Electrical Contractors are the only business in Ontario legally allowed to do electrical work in your home, and failing to hire one could result in injury, death, loss of property, or denied insurance claims.

Always hire a Licensed Electrical Contractor. It’s the law.

Identifying an Unlicensed Electrical Contractor

Licensed Electrical Contractors (LEC) are the only businesses in Ontario legally authorized to do electrical work in your home. Working with an LEC helps protect you and your family from electrical hazards or costly mistakes. It’s not worth the risk to hire an unlicensed individual.

Here’s how you can spot UNLICENSED electrical contractors:

  • They ask you to take out the permit with the Electrical Safety Authority.
  • They don’t have an ECRA/ESA licence number on their work vehicle.
  • Their estimate doesn’t include an ECRA/ESA licence number or ESA fees for the permit.
  • They can’t show you their ECRA/ESA licence number when you ask for it.
  • When you call and ask for their ECRA/ESA licence number they immediately hang up.
  • You can’t find the company’s name in the Find a Licensed Electrical Contractor Near You tool on the ESA website.            
  • They do more than just electrical work including drywall, flooring, plumbing, snow removal, eavestrough cleaning, and other home maintenance and improvement work.
  • You found their name on the Internet and the only way to contact them was to email a general mailbox and they respond to your inquiry by phone.
  • They say you don’t need to involve ESA and you don’t need a permit.
  • They offer a discount if you pay cash, accept only cash and/or won’t provide a receipt.
  • They show up in a labelled work van but operate under a different name.
  • They ask you to purchase all the supplies.
  • They say you don’t need to involve your local electric utility to change your electrical panel or upgrade your electrical service.
  • Your General Contractor insists he has an LEC doing work but he can’t produce an electrical permit and you never see a vehicle with an ECRA/ESA licence on it.
  • They tell you “If anyone asks, tell them that you did the work yourself.”

Think you may be dealing with an unlicensed electrical contractor? Report it to ESA and they will investigate.

It is not possible that all the electrical contractors offering the lowest prices deliver the best results all the time. Those cheap electricians may not stand by their work if something goes wrong. Such contractors may use inferior parts and accessories just to spend the least amount of money in your job,  base on their expense offering cheap price impossible because all electrical contractor should have WSIB , insurance and all liability insurance for their job and for their employee

Prepared by kiyan electric – Electrical Contractor Electrician – Electrical Contractors

Article reference   https://www.esasafe.com/consumers/hiring-an-electrician/overview