Bill 29: the 6-year warranty on your heat pump, explained simply

It is An Act to protect consumers from planned obsolescence and to promote the durability, repairability and maintenance of goods, SQ 2023, c. 21 (Bill 29), assented to on October 5, 2023. It amends Québec’s Consumer Protection Act in stages, up to October 5, 2026.

A warranty set out in the Consumer Protection Act (ss. 38.1 to 38.9): a new appliance must work properly for a period set by regulation, 6 years for a heat pump or an air conditioner. If it “does not work properly or […] no longer works at all” (OPC, our translation), it is repaired free of charge: parts, labour and reasonable transport costs.

The 6-year warranty of good working order (parts, labour and reasonable transport) is an obligation of the merchant or the manufacturer, at the customer’s choice. The merchant can’t require you to go to the manufacturer (OPC). (CPA, s. 38.5; OPC) General information, not legal advice.

The distributor can be too: when the manufacturer has no establishment in Canada, the law treats its importer or distributor as the manufacturer. The definition covers, “where the manufacturer has no establishment in Canada, a person who imports or distributes goods manufactured outside Canada or a person who allows his trademark to be used on goods” (CPA, s. 1(g)(ii), official English text). For a brand made abroad, check whether the manufacturer has an establishment in Canada: if not, the importer or distributor is also treated as the manufacturer.

Not under the 6-year warranty. It only applies to units bought since October 5, 2026. For a unit bought before that date, the manufacturer’s labour coverage is whatever its own warranty sheet says, usually none (0 years). The basic legal warranties (ss. 37 and 38) still apply, against the merchant or the manufacturer (ss. 53 and 54). Bought before October 5, 2026: the written warranties in your contract and invoice apply, on top of the legal warranties. (OPC; CPA, ss. 37, 38, 53 and 54) General information, not legal advice.

6 years, the same as an air conditioner, a stove, a refrigerator and a freezer. It is 5 years for a dishwasher, a washer and a dryer, 4 years for a television, and 3 years for a computer, a tablet, a cell phone and a video game console. The law covers 14 new appliances (s. 38.1); the regulation sets their duration, from 3 to 6 years (s. 79.21).

It takes effect “upon the delivery of the goods” (s. 38.4, official English text) for a contract entered into (signed, or quote accepted) since October 5, 2026. It covers a new unit sold or leased long-term by a merchant. Keep proof of the delivery date.

The law doesn’t make the warranty conditional on maintenance: it only excludes the cost of normal maintenance and the parts it replaces, such as the filter (s. 38.3). The manufacturer, for its part, can set conditions (registration, yearly maintenance, certified installer), but they apply to its own warranty; the law sets none for the 6-year warranty. But a breakdown caused by neglect (clogged unit, blocked drain) could be argued to be abuse by the consumer. Have the maintenance done and keep the invoices.

Yes, for a repair covered by the warranty: the merchant or the manufacturer must “carry out the repairs to the goods and assume their cost” (s. 38.5(b), official English text), on top of “the reasonable transportation or shipping costs” (s. 38.5(a), official English text). You can’t be charged for labour on that repair. A visit that reveals an excluded problem (maintenance, abuse by the consumer, accessory) isn’t a covered repair.

The warranty stays with the unit. The next owner, if they buy as a consumer, gets the years that are left (s. 38.6): the merchant and the manufacturer answer to them too. Hand over the invoice and the delivery date.

No. The clock doesn’t go back to zero: the period runs from delivery. According to the OPC, it is extended by the time the unit is in the merchant’s or the manufacturer’s possession for the repair. The repair itself, when a business does it on a heat pump or an air conditioner, is guaranteed for 3 months, parts and labour (ss. 182 and 186).

The law sets no deadline. The OPC talks about a “reasonable time” (OPC, our translation). Replacement is allowed when it is offered to you. According to the OPC, the warranty period is extended while the unit is in the merchant’s or the manufacturer’s possession for the repair. Make the request in writing and note the date.

Only for the time left on the 6 years, counted from the first delivery as a new unit, and only if it was first sold new on or after October 5, 2026 (OPC). The same rule applies to a refurbished unit. Go to the merchant that sold it new to the first buyer, or to the manufacturer, your choice (s. 38.6). Ask for the original invoice: it proves the first delivery. Bought from a private individual: the Consumer Protection Act does not govern that sale, but according to the OPC, the time left on the 6-year warranty follows the unit (s. 38.6).

For a new heat pump, the first 6 years are already covered by law, at no cost. Before offering you a paid extended warranty (the law says “additional warranty”), the merchant must tell you about the 6-year warranty out loud, except for a written offer at a distance (s. 228.2; regulation, s. 91.12), and give you the “NOTICE CONCERNING LEGAL WARRANTIES” (ss. 228.1 and 228.2; regulation, s. 91.9). Buy it knowing what you already have.

Yes. Send the merchant a written notice within 10 days after the contract is entered into: the warranty is cancelled without cost or penalty, and the merchant must refund what you paid as soon as possible. That period becomes 1 year if the merchant skipped a mandatory notice (verbal or written) or didn’t show the warranty’s duration near the price. Exception: this right doesn’t apply if the warranty is underwritten by an authorized insurer; check the contract (s. 228.3).

No. A syndicate of co-owners is a legal person, not a consumer: the Consumer Protection Act doesn’t apply. No 6-year warranty. What remains is its contract, the manufacturer’s warranty and the Civil Code warranty of quality, owed by the seller and the manufacturer (C.C.Q., arts. 1726 and 1730). A co-owner who buys for their own unit (not rented out) is protected.

No. The law protects consumers: natural persons who don’t buy for their business (CPA, s. 1(e)). Between two merchants, there is no warranty of good working order. What remains is your contract, the manufacturer’s warranty and the Civil Code warranty of quality, owed by the seller and the manufacturer (C.C.Q., arts. 1726 and 1730). Landlords: it depends, have your case checked.

The law lists heat pumps without distinguishing their use. Nothing excludes a pool heat pump, but no text or decision has confirmed it yet. For an air handler or a coil sold separately, the law says nothing specific. Before you buy, get it in writing: which warranty applies.

You can also go to the manufacturer: it’s your choice. Then, generally: Parle consommation (if the merchant takes part), a formal notice, a complaint to the OPC (it can take action, but it won’t reimburse you), then the Court of Québec, Small Claims Division, for a claim of up to $15,000.

You keep the legal warranties: normal use (s. 37), a reasonable length of time (s. 38) and protection against latent defects (s. 53), against the merchant or the manufacturer (s. 54); and the manufacturer’s warranty, according to its own terms.

Yes, since October 5, 2025: parts, repair services and repair information, diagnostic software included, “for a reasonable time after the contract has been entered into” (s. 39, official English text). The merchant or the manufacturer can only opt out by warning you in writing before the contract (s. 39). Before the contract, the merchant must tell you in writing whether it guarantees this availability fully, partly or not at all (s. 39.2; regulation, s. 79.19). Part, service or information not available: ask the merchant or the manufacturer for the repair; you get a written answer within 10 days, with a timeline (s. 39.5). Otherwise, replacement with new or refurbished equivalent goods, or a refund (ss. 39.6 and 39.7).

Goods subject to a technique aimed at reducing their normal operating life (s. 227.0.4). Since October 5, 2023, no one may trade in them, meaning offer them to a consumer or enter into a contract with a consumer about them; the manufacturer is deemed to trade in them. Since October 5, 2025, no merchant or manufacturer may use a technique that makes the maintenance or repair of goods harder either (s. 227.0.3).