How the trust score works
Every business on Pros On Hand has one score out of 100. It is made of four parts, each from a source you can check yourself, and the formula below is the whole of it. Formula version 2026-10-12.
The formula
score = 30% × Verified + 25% × Licence + 30% × Google + 15% × BBB
Each part is a number from 0 to 100. The result is rounded to a whole number.
The four parts
Verified by the owner (30%)
0 until the owner claims the listing and confirms an email address that matches the business. Then 100. This is the one part that is entirely in the business's hands.
Licence (25%)
Some trades need a licence or registration to work legally. Where one is needed, we look the business up in the regulator's public register: 100 if it is there, 0 if it is not. A trade that needs no licence scores 100, and so does any place whose register we cannot yet check. Nobody is marked down for a register we have not read.
| Trade | Register |
|---|---|
| Electricians | Electrical Safety Authority (ECRA/ESA) |
| Heating and cooling | Technical Standards and Safety Authority |
| Plumbing | Skilled Trades Ontario |
| Home builder | Home Construction Regulatory Authority |
Google reviews (30%)
The business's Google rating, steadied so that a single five-star review does not count the same as two hundred. We blend the rating with 10 imaginary reviews at 4 stars:
g = (rating × reviews + 4 × 10) ÷ (reviews + 10), then part = (g − 1) ÷ 4 × 100
A business with no Google reviews gets 75: neutral, not a penalty.
Better Business Bureau (15%)
The BBB letter grade where the business has one. A business that is not accredited, or has no BBB profile, gets 70. Not being a member is neutral.
| Grade | Part |
|---|---|
| A+ | 100 |
| A | 95 |
| A- | 90 |
| B+ | 85 |
| B | 80 |
| B- | 75 |
| C+ | 60 |
| C | 60 |
| C- | 60 |
| D+ | 45 |
| D | 45 |
| D- | 45 |
| F | 20 |
The tiers
| Tier | Score |
|---|---|
| Trusted | 85 and up |
| Good | 70 to 84 |
| Basic | 50 to 69 |
| Unverified | 0 to 49 |
Consumer Beware List
A business on the Ontario government's Consumer Beware List cannot score above 49, whatever its other parts say, and its listing says so with a link to the government's entry.
Two worked examples
A claimed electrician, licence found, Google 4.8 from 20 reviews, BBB A+
30% × 100 (Verified) + 25% × 100 (Licence) + 30% × 88.3 (Google) + 15% × 100 (BBB) = 96, Trusted
An unclaimed painter (no licence needed), no Google reviews, no BBB profile
30% × 0 (Verified) + 25% × 100 (Licence) + 30% × 75 (Google) + 15% × 70 (BBB) = 58, Basic
What we will and will not change
The number is never edited by hand. If a line on your listing is wrong, we correct the input behind it, for example the right licence number, and the score follows.Find your listing and choose Claim this listing to start.