How we check a business before it joins.
Since September 2026, every business that applies to CASL goes through five checks before its page goes live. We use public information only, we write down what we found every time, and anything seriously wrong stops the application. It's fair to new businesses and quick for good ones, and joining is free, so nobody can pay their way in.
- Five public checks
- Written down every time
- Free to join
- Usually live the same day
Five checks, all from public information.
We don't send the application back or ask for paperwork. We check what anyone could check, carefully, and keep a record of what we found.
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Check 1
They are who they say they are
The application has to match the business's own website: its name, phone number, address and years in business. Then we look for the business somewhere independent, at that address.
Where we look: a Google Business Profile, Yelp, a chamber of commerce directory, or a brokerage's or firm's own staff page.
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Check 2
The licence, where their work needs one
Real estate agents, accountants, health professionals, pharmacies, electricians, funeral homes, insurance brokers and estate lawyers answer to a regulator, so we look them up on its public register. Work that needs no licence, like moving or cleaning, skips this check.
Where we look: the regulator's own register. See the list.
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Check 3
Reviews, including the worst ones
We note the rating and how many reviews there are, then read the worst few recent reviews, not just the average.
Where we look: Google, and where they exist, Yelp, the Better Business Bureau, HomeStars and RateMyAgent.
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Check 4
LinkedIn
We look for the company's page or the owner's profile and check that it matches the business that applied.
Where we look: LinkedIn, found through a web search.
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Check 5
News and legal records
We search the business name and the owner's name alongside words like fraud, charged, lawsuit, scam, complaint and discipline, and read the regulator's published discipline decisions where there is a regulator.
Where we look: web and news searches, and the regulator's published decisions.
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Every time
Written down
What we checked, what we found and the result go into our vetting record for every applicant, with links kept for anything worth a second look.
Where we check a licence.
When someone's work needs a licence in Ontario, we look them up on the regulator's own public register.
- Real estate agents and brokers
- The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) public register, and the brokerage's own agent page
- Accountants (CPA)
- The CPA Ontario directory
- Massage therapists
- The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario register
- Physiotherapists
- The College of Physiotherapists of Ontario register
- Chiropractors
- The College of Chiropractors of Ontario register
- Pharmacies and pharmacists
- The Ontario College of Pharmacists
- Nurses and nurse-led home care
- The College of Nurses of Ontario, Find a Nurse
- Electricians
- The Electrical Safety Authority's licensed contractor search
- Funeral homes and cemeteries
- The Bereavement Authority of Ontario
- Insurance brokers
- The Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (RIBO)
- Estate lawyers
- The Law Society of Ontario's Lawyer and Paralegal Directory
Moving, cleaning, most handyman work and restaurants need no licence, so for those the other four checks carry the weight.
A note is not a no. Something serious is.
Most good businesses pass straight through. Some things are worth writing down but aren't a reason to stop. A short list of serious things stops an application.
It goes live
The business gets its page on CASL, usually the same day it applied.
It goes live, and we keep a note
- A new business with few reviews, or none yet
- A few bad reviews among good ones
- A rating between 3 and 4
- No LinkedIn
- An old regulator matter, more than five years ago, that was resolved
Nothing is published, and CASL decides
- A licence the work needs is missing, suspended or revoked
- Regulator discipline in the last five years for dishonesty, fraud or harming a client
- Criminal charges or a conviction for fraud, theft or abuse
- Credible reports of scamming people or taking advantage of older people
- A business that doesn't seem to exist, a false address, or one posing as another company
- A pattern of serious complaints, such as many reviews describing deposits taken and no work done
Careful, not suspicious.
Vetting is there to catch something genuinely wrong, not to make a good business prove itself twice.
A matching name isn't a finding
A record counts only when it's clearly the same person or business: the same name and the same city, business or licence number.
New isn't suspicious
A new business with few reviews is normal, and it's welcome.
One angry review isn't a pattern
We read the worst reviews to look for a pattern, not to hold one bad day against anyone.
Business information only
We never look into anyone's family, health, home or private life, and nothing we find goes on a partner's page unless it's ordinary business information that's already on their own website or listing.
No paperwork, no interview
We don't send the form back. If a question doesn't fit how a business works, we fill the gap from its own website.
Nobody buys their way in
Joining is free for businesses, and CASL keeps no part of any member offer, so every applicant gets the same checks.
The standards keep going.
Every business agrees to these when it applies
- The information it gives us is accurate, and CASL may verify it.
- It makes a genuine effort to give high quality, respectful, ethical service to seniors.
- It answers the people we introduce professionally and without pressure.
- It tells us promptly about complaints, regulatory issues, or licence or insurance changes.
- CASL may review, suspend or remove a partner to protect seniors, families or the network.
Something wrong? Tell us.
No check can promise how every job will go. If you have a problem with a CASL partner, we want to hear about it, and we look into it.
info@thecasl.ca (450) 977-7729 The phone is answered day or night by our automated assistant, who can take a message.Questions, answered plainly.
Does CASL vet the businesses in its network?
Yes. Since September 2026, every business that applies to CASL goes through five checks before its page goes live: that it is who it says it is, its licence where its work needs one, its reviews, LinkedIn, and news and legal records. We use public information only and write down what we found every time.
What stops a business from joining CASL?
Something serious: a licence its work needs that is missing, suspended or revoked; regulator discipline in the last five years for dishonesty, fraud or harming a client; criminal charges or a conviction for fraud, theft or abuse; credible reports of scamming people or taking advantage of older people; a business that doesn't seem to exist; or a pattern of serious complaints. Then nothing is published, and CASL decides.
Will a new business or a few bad reviews keep a business out?
No. A new business with few reviews is normal, and one angry review isn't a pattern. Things like that get a note, not a no.
Can a business pay to join CASL or to skip the checks?
No. Joining is free for businesses, and CASL keeps no part of any member offer, so there is nothing to buy. Every applicant gets the same checks.
Does CASL ask applicants for documents or an interview?
No. We check public information and fill any gaps in the application from the business's own website, so a good business isn't slowed down. The application itself takes about five minutes.
Does vetting guarantee a CASL partner?
No check can promise how every job will go. Vetting tells you a business is real, licensed where its work needs a licence, and shows no serious warning signs in public. Partners also agree to CASL's partner standards, and CASL may review, suspend or remove a partner.
How do I tell CASL about a problem with a partner?
Email info@thecasl.ca or call (450) 977-7729, which is answered day or night by our automated assistant. We look into it, and CASL may review, suspend or remove a partner to protect seniors and families.
Quick for good businesses. Firm on anything serious.
The application takes about five minutes and there's no fee. Looking for help instead? Every partner and its member offer is on the partner offers page, and membership is free.