How Does HomeStars Work?

HomeStars is Canada’s leading home-improvement review site and contractor directory — the country’s rough equivalent to Angi or HomeAdvisor, but with its own Star Score reputation metric and an annual "Best of HomeStars" award. Homeowners across Canada use it specifically to research renovators, roofers, HVAC and plumbing companies, electricians, and other contractors before committing to a job that’s often worth thousands of dollars.

Because HomeStars’ homeowner traffic and contractor directory are concentrated in Canada, the competitive set a contractor is actually judged against here is other Canadian businesses, not the national US chains that dominate American platforms. That’s the starting point for understanding how the platform works: it’s a distinct market with its own scoring logic, not a Canadian mirror of a US site.

Who uses HomeStars, and on which side

Canadian homeowners use HomeStars to compare contractors by trade and city before requesting quotes, often for renovation or repair jobs representing significant money. Contractors — renovators, roofers, HVAC and plumbing companies, electricians, landscapers, and general contractors — manage a single company profile that carries their Star Score, review history, and any Best of HomeStars recognition.

How the Star Score actually works

The Star Score isn’t a simple average of star ratings. HomeStars weights review recency and volume into the score, so a contractor who earned excellent reviews two years ago but hasn’t collected new ones recently can see their score and directory ranking drift downward even without a single bad review coming in. A steady, ongoing stream of reviews from real completed jobs supports the score more than a one-time burst.

Verification status factors in as well — HomeStars verifies that reviews are tied to real jobs, and a fully verified profile reads as more credible to homeowners comparing contractors side by side.

How reviews get submitted and verified

Customers submit reviews tied to a specific completed job, and HomeStars verifies that connection as part of its process. Reviews that mention the specific project by name tend to both read as more credible to homeowners and be easier for HomeStars to verify against real work performed.

Requesting reviews compliantly

Because the Star Score rewards ongoing activity, review requests work best as a habit tied to every job, not an occasional push.

• Ask for a review right after every completed job, not in occasional batches — recency is directly weighted into the score.
• Invite every recent customer, not a filtered "happy customers only" list.
• Never offer an incentive for a review.
• Mention the specific project when requesting, which helps both the homeowner write something detailed and HomeStars verify the review is tied to real work.

How HomeStars moderates and what Best of HomeStars adds

HomeStars removes reviews that violate its guidelines but does not remove content simply because a contractor disagrees with it. Best of HomeStars is a separate, annual layer on top of the Star Score — an award given to top-performing contractors in each trade category and city, based largely on Star Score and review performance over the prior year. Homeowners researching a major renovation decision often specifically filter for award-winning or verified contractors, which makes both verification status and the award real trust signals, not just badges.

The practical implication is that HomeStars rewards consistency over a strong-but-static history. A contractor with excellent past reviews and no recent activity will lose ground to a competitor collecting reviews steadily, even at a similar underlying rating. Treating review requests as a standard step after every job — not a periodic campaign — is what keeps the Star Score, and directory ranking, current.

For the full approach — consistent review requests, response management, and Best of HomeStars eligibility — see our HomeStars reputation management page.