Frequently asked questions

ContractCheck can analyze virtually any Canadian real estate contract, including:

• Pre-construction Agreement of Purchase and Sale (APS) — New condo or home purchase from a builder
• Resale Agreement of Purchase and Sale — Buying an existing home or condo through a realtor (OREA, BCREA, AREA standard forms)
• Commercial lease agreements — Retail, office, or industrial space leases
• Residential lease agreements — Rental contracts for apartments, condos, or houses
• Assignment agreements — Transferring a pre-construction contract to a new buyer
• Amendments and addendums — Modifications to existing purchase agreements
• Builder disclosure statements — Required disclosures from developers (e.g., Ontario Tarion)
• Mortgage commitment letters — Pre-approval and commitment terms from lenders
• Condo status certificates — Financial and legal health of a condo corporation
• Land transfer agreements — Rural or vacant land purchase contracts
• Joint venture / co-ownership agreements — Partnerships for real estate investment

An Agreement of Purchase and Sale (APS) is the legally binding contract between a buyer and seller (or builder) for a property. For pre-construction, it details the purchase price, deposit schedule, completion timeline, unit specifications, and all terms governing the transaction. Unlike resale real estate where standard-form contracts are used, pre-construction APS documents are typically drafted entirely by the builder's lawyers and can be 50+ pages long with multiple schedules and addendums.

Yes. We support standard resale purchase agreements from all provinces, including OREA (Ontario Real Estate Association) forms, BCREA (British Columbia) forms, and AREA (Alberta) forms. The AI analyzes conditions, clauses, timelines, and identifies any unusual terms that differ from the standard form. This is especially useful for buyers reviewing an offer their realtor has drafted, or for understanding conditions like financing, inspection, and status certificate review.

Yes. For commercial leases, the AI focuses on common pitfalls like personal guarantees, assignment restrictions, CAM (Common Area Maintenance) charges, rent escalation clauses, exclusivity provisions, and early termination penalties. For residential leases, it checks for compliance with provincial tenancy laws (like Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act), illegal clauses, and missing tenant protections.

Assignment agreements — where the original buyer sells their pre-construction contract to a new buyer before closing — are fully supported. The AI reviews the assignment fee structure, builder consent requirements, deposit handling, liability transfer, and any restrictions on further assignments. These contracts often have unique risks that differ from a standard APS, especially around who bears the risk if the builder delays or cancels.

The AI analyzes contracts across 10+ risk categories, including:

• Unlimited delay clauses — Builder can push occupancy indefinitely without penalty
• One-sided termination rights — Builder can cancel easily but you face deposit forfeiture
• Unilateral change powers — Spec changes, material substitutions, or layout modifications without consent
• Non-disparagement clauses — Restrictions on leaving reviews or sharing your experience
• Lawyer conflicts of interest — Builder's law firm named to represent you at closing
• Missing protections — Deposit insurance, delay compensation, deficiency holdback rights
• Hidden fees and charges — Development levies, utility connection fees, education charges passed to buyer
• Unfair deposit schedules — Front-loaded deposits that exceed industry norms
• Weak warranty terms — Limited or excluded warranty coverage
• Arbitration clauses — Mandatory arbitration that waives your right to sue

All Canadian provinces and territories. Our AI has deep knowledge of provincial legislation including Ontario's Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act (Tarion), British Columbia's Real Estate Development Marketing Act, Alberta's New Home Buyer Protection Act, and the Condominium Acts across all provinces. When you upload your contract, specify your province so the analysis references the relevant protections and regulations.

No. ContractCheck is an educational tool that helps you understand what's in your contract. It is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. We strongly recommend that every buyer consult with an independent real estate lawyer before signing any contract. Our analysis helps you know which questions to ask and which clauses deserve special attention, potentially saving you time and money during your legal consultation.

When you upload your contract, our AI reads the entire document and analyzes it across 10+ risk categories specific to Canadian real estate. It identifies potentially problematic clauses, missing protections, and patterns commonly seen in builder-drafted contracts. Each finding includes the relevant contract text, a plain-language explanation, and a severity rating. The analysis typically completes in 2-5 minutes.

We accept PDF files (including scanned PDFs with OCR support), and on paid plans, JPG, PNG, and HEIC images of contract pages. For best results, use a digital PDF with selectable text. If you have a physical copy, scan it using your phone's camera app or a scanning app.

Most contracts are analyzed within 2-5 minutes, depending on length and complexity. You can leave the page and come back — we'll have your results ready. You'll see a progress indicator while the analysis is running.

Yes. While it's ideal to review before signing, understanding what you've already agreed to is valuable. It helps you prepare for milestones like occupancy or closing, understand your rights if issues arise, and know what to watch for. The Crisis plan ($149) is designed specifically for buyers who've already signed and need help navigating issues.

Pro and Crisis plan users can compare two versions of a contract side by side. Upload a second version (like an amended APS or a counteroffer) and see a detailed diff showing what changed, new risks introduced, and protections added or removed. This is useful when a builder sends an amended agreement or when comparing offers.

The free trial includes one full contract analysis, but only shows your top 3 most critical findings. You also get 2 AI chat messages for follow-up questions. No credit card required. Upgrade to see all findings and get a downloadable PDF report.

All paid plans include a full review with all findings and a PDF report:

• Essential ($49) — All findings + 15 chat messages. Best for a quick, thorough review.
• Pro ($99) — 50 chat messages + suggested clause language + negotiation talking points + 2 contract comparisons. Best for buyers who want actionable advice.
• Crisis ($149) — 100 chat messages + lawyer letter analysis + draft communications (mutual release, demand letters) + 4 contract comparisons. Best for buyers who've already signed and need help navigating issues.

Yes. After purchasing any plan, you can buy add-ons: an extra contract review ($29), 10 extra chat messages ($9), or 25 extra chat messages ($19). These are one-time purchases that add to your existing limits.

All purchases are final and non-refundable. The AI analysis begins immediately and results are delivered digitally. This is why we offer a free trial — see exactly how it works before paying.

The Partner Program lets real estate professionals — realtors and mortgage agents — earn 40% commission on every client they refer who purchases a Pro ($99) or Crisis ($149) plan. Partners also get their own subscription with 10 reviews, 100 chat messages, and 5 comparisons per month for $199/month. Learn more and sign up.

You earn $39.60 for each Pro plan referral (40% of $99) and $59.60 for each Crisis plan referral (40% of $149). There's no cap on earnings. Just 5 Pro referrals per month ($198) essentially covers your $199/month subscription — everything after that is profit. Commissions are paid directly to your bank account via Stripe.

• One-time 40% commission per referred client (not recurring)
• Earn only on Pro ($99) and Crisis ($149) plan purchases — not Essential or add-ons
• Commission on the client's first plan purchase only
• Client must sign up through your unique referral link
• Clients who received a delegated (courtesy) review are not commission-eligible
• Self-referrals are not allowed
• Active $199/month subscription required to earn commissions

Commissions are held for 14 days after the referral's purchase (dispute protection period). After the hold, payouts are processed via Stripe Connect to your bank account — typically arriving within 2-3 business days. You can track all commissions in your partner dashboard.

The Partner Program is for licensed real estate professionals, including realtors and mortgage agents. A company or brokerage email (e.g., [email protected]) helps verify your professional status. Personal emails like Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo are not accepted.

Yes, cancel anytime from your dashboard or via the Stripe billing portal. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your billing period. Pending commissions past the 14-day hold will still be paid out. No partial refunds.

Yes. Commission income is taxable in Canada. You are responsible for reporting it to the CRA. ContractCheck issues T4A slips (box 048 — fees for services) for partners who receive $500 CAD or more in commissions during a calendar year. Tax information is collected during your Stripe Connect onboarding. For a full breakdown including HST and PREC routing, see our realtor tax guide.

Founding partners receive complimentary access to the Partner plan — no $199/month subscription during the comp period. You'll still need to complete Stripe Connect onboarding (identity verification and bank account) before any commissions can be created, but there's no subscription fee. Comps come in five tiers: 1 month free, 3 months free, 6 months free, 12 months free, or lifetime free. Short tiers (1 and 3 month) are typically used for sampling the product; 6 and 12 month tiers are the main seeding tools; lifetime is reserved for founding 10 partners. Your current tier and expiry are shown as a banner at the top of your partner dashboard. You earn the same 40% commission on referred Pro and Crisis buyers regardless of tier.

You are not automatically charged when a time-limited comp expires. There is no credit card on file from the comp grant. Here's the sequence:

• 14 days before expiry — reminder email with a subscribe link
• 3 days before expiry — second reminder
• Day of expiry — your account downgrades to the Free plan, and we send a "Resume your plan" email with a one-click subscribe link. Your data stays intact

If you want to continue, just click "Subscribe to continue" from the dashboard banner or any of the expiry emails. There is no gap in coverage if you subscribe before the expiry date.

Lifetime partner access is permanent. There's no expiry date, no auto-renewal (nothing to auto-renew), and no future charge. You keep the full Partner plan — 10 reviews/month, 100 chat messages, 5 comparisons, buyer delegation, and 40% commissions — for as long as your account exists. Lifetime comps are reserved for the first ~10 founding partners and are not self-serve.

Yes — but it's a switch, not both at once. Each account has a single partner type at any given time: Influencer, Realtor, or Mortgage Agent.

Email support with your request and we'll switch it within one business day. All of your existing data stays — past commissions, referral code, Stripe Connect, delegated reviews, and referred users all carry over. Only the rules going forward change:

• Influencer → Realtor / Mortgage Agent: you gain partner features (10 reviews/month, buyer delegation with branded emails, 100 chat messages, 5 comparisons) and lose commission eligibility on Essential ($49) referrals going forward. Pro and Crisis referrals still earn 40%.
• Realtor / Mortgage Agent → Influencer: you gain commission eligibility on Essential ($49) referrals and lose partner features and the 10 monthly reviews.

Switching is free. If you want a comped period (no $199/month subscription) during the Realtor switch, mention that in your support request — we can grant 1, 3, 6, 12 months, or lifetime depending on the fit.

ContractCheck follows a no-surprise-charges policy:

• Free plan — no card required, never charged
• Essential / Pro / Crisis buyer plans — one-time payment per plan. Not recurring. You only pay when you actively choose to buy a plan
• Realtor Partner subscription — a monthly recurring $199 charge that only starts if you deliberately subscribe. It renews monthly until you cancel (same as any SaaS subscription)
• Comped access — no card on file, no charge when comp expires. You downgrade to Free unless you deliberately subscribe

The only recurring charge is the Partner subscription, and it's always opt-in.

Your realtor or mortgage agent has gifted you a free AI-powered contract review through their ContractCheck partner account. You'll get 1 full contract review with all findings, a PDF report, and 15 AI chat messages to ask questions — completely free. Just click the link in the email, create your account, and upload your contract. Your analysis will show your realtor's name as a courtesy attribution.

• 1 full AI contract review with all findings and severity ratings
• 15 AI chat messages to ask follow-up questions about your contract
• Downloadable PDF report
• "Courtesy of [Realtor Name], [Brokerage]" attribution on your report

This is the same quality analysis as the Essential plan — just gifted to you by your realtor.

Delegation invitations expire after 30 days. If yours has expired, ask your realtor to send a new one.

Yes. After using your free delegated review, you can purchase any plan (Essential, Pro, or Crisis) to get additional reviews, more chat messages, or advanced features like suggested clauses and contract comparisons.

Partners enter the buyer's email in their dashboard. The buyer receives a branded email invitation with a signup link. When the buyer signs up, they automatically receive their free review credits. Each delegation uses one review from the realtor's monthly pool of 10.

Yes. Your contract is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest. We never share your document with third parties. We do not use your contract to train AI models. You can delete your document and analysis at any time. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

All payments are processed by Stripe, which is PCI-DSS Level 1 certified (the highest level of security certification). We never store your credit card number, CVV, or full card details on our servers.

Yes. Go to Settings > Profile > Delete Account. Your account is deactivated immediately, and all data (documents, analyses, chats, payment records) is permanently deleted after 90 days. You can request restoration within that window by emailing [email protected].