French contracts, an NEQ and bilingual booking pages for Quebec pet sitters

What to take away

What the language rules actually change

The Charter of the French Language gives every client the right to be served and informed in French. That covers your service agreement, your invoices, your receipts and your website. Draft the French first and translate outward.

A translation may sit alongside the French. It cannot replace it or appear in smaller type. Where wording is ambiguous, a Quebec court reads the French version, so the French is the contract, not the translation.

This holds even when both parties speak English. A client may sign an English copy if they ask, but the French document should exist and be offered, and you should be able to show it was.

Pet care vocabulary is where machine translation fails. "Garde d'animaux" is sitting, "promenade de chiens" is walking, "visite à domicile" is a drop-in visit. Pick one term per service and use it in every document, quote and invoice.

If registration, insurance and intake paperwork are still ahead of you, the order matters more than any single clause. Our guide to how to start pet sitting business walks through that sequence.

The four places clients notice

Contracts, quotes, cancellation policies and complaint handling. A rate quoted verbally in English only is a weak position if a dispute reaches small claims court.

Signage matters less for a home-based sitter. A storefront, a van wrap or a printed rate card in Montreal falls under the same expectations.

Registering for your NEQ

The Quebec Enterprise Number is a ten-digit identifier issued through the enterprise register. Sole proprietors, partnerships and corporations all receive one, and it is the number banks, suppliers and clients ask for.

Filing happens through the Registraire des entreprises. A sole proprietor operating under their own legal name files free. Incorporating, or registering a trade name, carries a fee that changes, so check the current amount before you file.

The register is also a check on other people. Before you sign a supplier or take on a partner, look them up. The enterprise register search shows legal name, NEQ, status and directors.

The file needs an annual update. Address changes, new directors and name changes all get filed. A business that stops updating can be struck off, which complicates insurance, banking and every contract you have signed.

Filing steps

The NEQ registration requirements list what you must supply and what the number is used for. Read them before filing, not after a rejection.

Registration is one line on a longer list. Our pet sitting compliance checklist covers the other filings a Quebec sitter clears before the first booking.

Writing a French service contract

Two pages is the right length. A longer agreement gets skimmed and signed unread, which helps nobody when a dog needs a vet at 11pm.

Open with the parties, the NEQ and the service address. Then the schedule: dates, visit times, visits per day, and how long each visit runs.

Scope comes next, and it cuts both ways. Feeding, walking, litter changes and basic grooming are the usual inclusions. Veterinary transport, emergency decisions and house cleaning are separate lines.

Then money. Rate per visit, holiday surcharge, mileage beyond a set radius, deposit, and the date payment falls due. Name the late-payment consequence rather than leaving it implied.

A French contract example

This model is a starting point, not legal advice. Have a Quebec lawyer review your final version.

Contrat de service de garde d'animaux

Entre : [Nom du client] et [Nom de l'entreprise], NEQ [numéro].

1. Services. L'entreprise s'engage à effectuer des visites à domicile pour nourrir, abreuver et promener l'animal désigné, selon le calendrier annexé.

2. Tarifs. Le tarif est de [montant] par visite. Un supplément de [montant] s'applique les jours fériés.

3. Annulation. Toute annulation doit être signalée au moins 24 heures à l'avance. Les annulations tardives sont facturées à 50 %.

4. Urgences vétérinaires. En cas d'urgence, l'entreprise communique avec le client et, à défaut de réponse, avec la clinique vétérinaire désignée. Les frais vétérinaires sont à la charge du client.

5. Responsabilité. L'entreprise détient une assurance responsabilité civile de [montant].

6. Loi applicable. Le présent contrat est régi par les lois du Québec.

The English version mirrors it line for line, same headings, same numbers, same order, so a client compares without hunting.

Clauses that get left out

Key handling is the big one. Say how keys, codes and lockboxes move between visits and who holds a spare. Photo and video consent for marketing is another. So is the client's written confirmation that the animal has no known bite history.

Insurance belongs in the contract, not only on the website. Name the insurer, the policy type and the coverage limit. Care, custody and control cover is what responds to an animal injured in your care; general liability is a different policy. Confirm the terms with your broker, because coverage language varies by insurer.

Bilingual booking pages

Your booking page is where the language rules meet conversion. A Montreal client may browse in French and switch to English at checkout, or the reverse. Both paths have to work.

Make French the default. Put the toggle top right, labelled FR and EN. Do not bury it in the footer, and do not lean on browser auto-translation, which turns "promenade" into nonsense.

Translate the whole flow. Service names, duration options, add-ons, price fields, validation messages and the confirmation email. A half-translated checkout is the complaint that comes up most.

Booking page wording

Keep field order identical in both languages. A client who switches mid-form should not lose entries or watch fields jump.

Calls and messages

Answer with a bilingual greeting that names the business: "Bonjour, [entreprise], hello." The caller picks the language and you stay in it.

Record the voicemail greeting in both languages, French first. Return the call in the language the client used, even if the other one is easier for you. If your French is thin, contract a fluent speaker for intake calls rather than muddling through.

Text messages are client communication. Reminders, arrival notices and photo updates go out in the client's chosen language, and that preference lives in your booking system so no one has to guess.

Follow-up is where a first call becomes a repeat client. Our notes on pet sitting customer acquisition cover the sequence that does it.

Consumer rules that shape your quote

Quebec's Consumer Protection Act is stricter than most Canadian provinces, and it applies to a pet sitting business selling to individuals. A one-person operation run from a kitchen table is covered.

The Act requires clear, legible information before the sale: the price, the terms, the cancellation policy and the merchant's identity, in French. A website with a phone number and no terms does not meet that bar.

Online bookings are distance contracts and carry extra duties. The client must receive a written contract containing specified information, and cancellation rights apply in defined situations. Keep a record of what you sent and when.

Deposits need a real cost behind them. Tie the deposit to something you actually incur, and spell out the refund conditions. A blanket no-refund term on a service you never delivered is the kind of clause that gets struck down. Whether a specific term is enforceable is a question for a lawyer licensed in Quebec.

Price advertising has its own rules. A quoted rate must include everything the client has to pay, or the extras must be disclosed clearly and separately. A holiday surcharge buried in small print invites a complaint.

Habits that keep you clean

Licensing runs alongside this. Montreal and Quebec City set their own animal control and business permit requirements, and they differ by borough. Our pet sitting licensing requirements explain how to check what your city expects.

Tax and registration

Quebec runs its own income tax system beside the federal one. You file a provincial return with Revenu Québec and a federal return with the Canada Revenue Agency. Most sitters use software that handles both.

GST and QST registration is tied to revenue thresholds. Below the small supplier threshold you need not register, though you may choose to, which lets you claim input tax credits on supplies and equipment. Above it, registration is mandatory. Rates and thresholds are set by government and change, so confirm the current figures with Revenu Québec or the CRA.

Once registered, you charge GST and QST and remit on a set schedule. Set aside a percentage of every payment as it arrives rather than finding it at filing time.

Deductions matter in a lean operation. Vehicle costs for client visits, a home office portion, phone and software, insurance and supplies are the usual claims. Log kilometres from the first day, because reconstructing a year of driving is guesswork.

The Quebec finance and tax portal carries filing deadlines, payment schedules and what counts as a taxable supply. It also lists credits a small operator may qualify for. Anything specific to your business goes to an accountant.

Getting tax-ready

The government's start an enterprise material covers registration through to the first invoice. Dry reading, cheap insurance against expensive corrections.

Hiring bilingual sitters

Most Quebec sitters start alone and add help when weekend demand outstrips one person. Hiring brings employment standards, payroll deductions and workplace safety obligations.

Write the offer in French. Job title, duties, pay rate, schedule and probation terms all belong in the letter. An English copy supplements it; it does not replace it.

Payroll means source deductions, CNESST coverage and records of hours. CNESST is Quebec's workplace health and safety board, and coverage runs from the first day, part-time sitters included.

Onboarding that prevents callbacks

A written route sheet per client, with behaviour notes and the vet's contact details. A medication protocol where the animal needs one, set by the prescribing veterinarian. A clear rule on when to call the owner and when to call the clinic. And a language note: which language this client prefers.

Train the awkward cases before the first solo shift. A dog that will not come back on recall. A cat under a bed. A client who calls mid-visit. Rehearse each one.

The government's guidance on hiring and managing staff sets out what applies once someone is on payroll, from contracts to termination. Read it before posting the job.

For the training side, our pet sitting hiring breakdown covers how to structure the first weeks so a new sitter is reliable by the second month.

Common questions

Do I need a French contract if my client speaks English?

Yes. The French version should exist and be offered, and you should be able to show it was. The client may sign an English copy if they prefer.

Is the NEQ the same as a GST number?

No. The NEQ identifies your business in the Quebec enterprise register. GST and QST numbers come from tax registration and serve a different purpose.

Can I run a pet sitting business from home in Montreal?

Often yes, but zoning, animal limits and permit rules vary by borough. Check with your borough before you advertise the address.

Do I need insurance to sign a Quebec contract?

It is not a universal legal requirement, but clients ask and contracts usually name a coverage limit. Care, custody and control cover alongside general liability is the common pairing. Confirm what a policy actually covers with your broker.