Contractor left Scarborough house halfway through $100,000 cleanup

When a freak electrical fire caused a portion of the roof to cave in at Agith Ananthagobal’s Scarborough bungalow in January, his family saw a silver lining amid the ashes — the chance for a fresh start in the form of a full home renovation.

But five months later, that plan appears to also have gone up in smoke. Ananthagobal saysa contractor abandoned the job with about $40,000 of paid work uncompleted — a cautionary tale as the busy summer reno season heats up.

Contractors asking for money before doing any renovations is a red flag, said Toronto employment lawyer Gurlal Kler, who specializes in labour, employment, and commercial litigation at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP in Toronto.

Kler shared his advice and best practices with Toronto Star reporter Vjosa Isai here.