When Etta and Paul Anisef needed to repair stone steps at the front of their Leaside home this summer, a Toronto construction company’s polished website, positive reviews and its verified status on HomeStars helped convince the couple they were in good hands.
HomeStars bills itself as “Canada’s largest network of verified” contractors, a sort of online matchmaking service for those seeking a “reliable way to hire a pro.”
Platbace Construction, also known as Platinum Base Construction, had branded itself a “renowned leader” in masonry repairs.
What the Anisefs didn’t know was that after they got in touch with Platbace, HomeStars quietly suspended the contractor’s account — just one week after it was created. HomeStars did not alert the Anisefs, so they continued communicating with the company through the HomeStars platform as if nothing had changed.
The Anisefs soon discovered they weren’t the only consumers duped by what they believed to be “verified pros.” They would also learn HomeStars’ definition of the word “verified” doesn’t mean what they thought it did.
The problem: ‘Verified’ contractor bills, then vanishes
By the time the Anisefs realized they had been “scammed out of $4,000,” Platbace Construction had vanished.
The company’s frontman, who called himself Jay, had convinced the Anisefs to increase the scope of work to include not just fixing a single step but rebuilding the foundation of their front steps and re-leveling their interlocking stone driveway, which had sunken in spots over time.
Contractors caulked the front steps and tossed sand on the driveway before calling it a day. They said they would return to finish but never did. Three phone numbers they provided the couple were no longer in service, the Star confirmed.
Etta decided to play detective. She drove to the construction company’s business address, a suite at 1 Yorkdale Rd., in Yorkdale Shopping Centre. She found a dentist’s office and no sign of Platbace. Mall staff told her they had never heard of Platinum Base Construction or Martin Maughan, the name the workers told the couple to use when writing their cheque.
“If HomeStars had notified us immediately of suspending the company, we would have terminated our contact with Platbace and not have lost so much money,” Etta wrote in an email to me.
“I can accept that HomeStars is not involved in disputes between homeowners and professionals listed on their sites, but these people are not professional and the company doesn’t even exist, so how can they not accept any responsibility for what happened?”
The Star steps in: Why weren’t the homeowners notified?
In 2017, HomeStars’ Toronto-based founder and CEO Nancy Peterson sold her company to HomeAdvisor, an American counterpart, which later merged with Angie’s List to become Angi Inc., a publicly traded company headquartered in Denver, Colo. Peterson stepped down from HomeStars in 2020.
Angi Inc. owns a number of digital marketplaces that connect homeowners with contractors across North America and Europe, including HomeAdvisor, Angi and Instapro in the U.S., MyBuilder in the U.K., Werkspot in the Netherlands, Travaux in France and MyHammer in Germany and Austria.
So how does it all work?
In Canada, homeowners submit service requests through the HomeStars website. Contractors, meanwhile, can set up a profile on the site to search job postings and reach out to homeowners.
Contractors need to provide a name and phone number, select up to five different types of professions from a drop-down list (gardener or mason, for example) and use a slider tool on a map to note how far they’re willing to travel.
HomeStars also asks contractors to enter their company’s name, number of employees and verify their identity.
“This helps us check that you’re really you and helps keep HomeStars secure,” according to the website.
Contractors are asked to upload one of the following pieces of photo identification: passport, government-issued ID, driver’s licence or residence document.
They can also click on a button to “skip this step” and move on to adding a payment method, which allows them to search jobs for free. But they can’t respond to emails from homeowners without uploading identification.
HomeStars gets a “lead fee” when a homeowner simply reaches out to a contractor through its platform.
On an earnings call with market analysts last week, Angi CEO Jeff Kip described this point of contact as a “win rate” metric, one that is tracking upwards.
“We have to make sure we serve the right pros with the right skills and qualifications, get them matched and make sure that the contact is happening,” Kip said.
If a homeowner reaches out to six contractors about a single job, each one of them has to pay HomeStars the lead fee, even if they don’t get the contract.
For a small masonry job in Toronto posted last week, the lead fee was $86 plus tax.
On its website, HomeStars tells contractors the money they earn from the jobs they do land will more than cover what they lose in lead fees.
Platbace Construction first became active on HomeStars on June 5, 2025, and was suspended a week later, on June 12, the company told the Star, “following internal concerns about their account activity.”
On June 13, the Anisefs received a message on their HomeStars account: “You can now contact Platbace Construction. Reach out to discuss the job details and decide if you want to hire this pro.”
Why was the suspended contractor allowed to remain active on HomeStars’ platform?
“A suspended service professional cannot express interest in any new jobs posted by homeowners,” HomeStars wrote in an email. “However, they can still view and respond to existing job threads that were initiated prior to suspension. This allows continuity for homeowners who may already be in active discussions or partway through a project.”
Since Platbace Construction expressed interest in the Anisef’s job on June 10, two days before it suspension, the system allowed the couple to shortlist the contractor and ultimately hire them.
Why didn’t HomeStars notify the Anisefs of the suspension?
“We do not issue blanket notifications to homeowners about account suspensions,” HomeStars told the Star. “If a customer reports a concern, we will address it directly on a case-by-case basis.”
After reporting their concerns to HomeStars, the Anisefs noticed that homeowners in Lindsay, Ont., posted a negative review about Platbace, saying the company demanded a large deposit to install hardscaping but never completed the work.
The Anisefs said the review was not on HomeStars’ website when they hired Platbace.
The Star’s attempts to reach Platbace, Platinum Base Construction and its principals were unsuccessful.
The company does not appear to be registered in Ontario or Canada. The phone number on its website prompts a message noting “the cellular number is not assigned.” The Star confirmed two other phone numbers the contractors provided to the Anisefs were also out of service.
The resolution: New contractor hired the old-fashioned way
Several weeks after the Anisefs reported their experience with the bogus contractor to HomeStars (after I had reached out), the company emailed the couple to say Platbace’s account “has been reviewed and removed from the platform.”
HomeStars told them it “cannot accept liability for losses arising from a private agreement … The platform is an introductory service only” and the company “strongly encourages all users to carry out independent checks on any professional they choose to hire.”
The Anisefs have since hired another contractor to properly fix their front steps, using mortar this time instead of caulking. The work is done and they’re happy.
They found him the old-fashioned way; by talking with friends who had hired him and vouched for his work.
They’re still considering filing a financial fraud report with Toronto Police about Platbace. Their online submission bounced back and they were told they had to either call or visit a station in person to file the report. After 60 minutes on hold, they hung up.
In the meantime, Paul, a retired sociology professor at York University, says he and Etta hope that speaking publicly about their experience with HomeStars will help educate and protect consumers.
“We really don’t want to see other people being nailed like this.”
