A woman in Longueuil has found herself in an unusual predicament after she was supposed to move into her new home in July, but her contractor died before the job was completed.
Sue-Hellen Rivera now finds herself having to go it alone.
In 2024, Rivera’s Longueuil home was destroyed by a fire. She said it was a total loss.
The rebuild started in January, but in August, everything came to a stop when her contractor died, leaving the work unfinished.
“We looked it up and they didn’t [go into] bankruptcy yet, so right now, legally, I’m still in a contract with them, so I have to do the job by myself,” she said.
Her contractor was the head of Covem Construction. A sign on the company’s Longueuil office says it is “temporarily closed,” and calls do not get connected.
Rivera said the company told her the inside of the house would be completed by October.
Now, Rivera, her friends and family are doing as many jobs as they can. Her two weeks of upcoming vacation will be spent working on the home.
“I did the ceramic floor in the two bathrooms. I painted the house with a friend. My brother-in-law and my sister did the stairs,” she said.
She will have to pay professionals for other jobs, like plumbing and electrical.
This year alone, Covem has been named in nine lawsuits, according to the Quebec Association of Home Construction Professionals.
There is automatic insurance coverage with the Régie des batiments du Québec for a new build, but because there was a home standing there before, it qualifies as a renovation.
“In Quebec, there is no automatic protection guaranteeing clients a reimbursement of their deposits or the completion of work in the case of bankruptcy or the death of the head of a company,” the association explained.
Rivera said she’s already paid $270,000 to the construction company, leaving her living with her mom and working double shifts to cover the costs.
“I’m really tired. I don’t sleep much because if I go to sleep too early, I’m... [my brain] starts working, so I prefer to be tired before going to bed,” she said.
Once she can get enough money together to finish the house, she plans to take Covem to court.
