Comfort Keepers operates one of Ontario's recognized non-medical senior home care networks, with most of its offices independently owned and operated under the brand's 'Interactive Caregiving' model. A resale is less about a lease or a storefront and more about whether the caregiver team, the active client roster, and the franchisor's own approval line up before closing — three things that don't move on the same schedule.
Comfort Keepers resales follow the franchisor's own approval process on top of the usual purchase mechanics — here's how the two run together.
Getting approved
Price and structure get fixed in the offer, conditioned on the franchisor approving the incoming operator and on the caregiver team and client base being reasonably expected to carry through the handover.
1–3 weeks†Comfort Keepers' franchisor reviews the incoming owner's background, financial standing, and fit with its care standards before approving the change of ownership.
3–6 weeks†Whether a franchise disclosure document is required for this particular resale gets confirmed early — the statutory resale exemption is read narrowly by Ontario courts, and franchisor involvement can trigger disclosure anyway.
reviewed alongside the application†Getting to closing
Retention terms for key caregiving staff, and a client notice plan that protects continuity of care, get built into the purchase agreement rather than handled informally after closing.
runs through closing†The incoming owner typically signs a new, current-form agreement for the territory, rather than assuming the seller's original terms and fee structure.
negotiated alongside consent†Funds and records change hands, the caregiver and client handover is executed against the agreed plan, and a short post-closing tail confirms territory registration with the franchisor.
1 day, plus a short tail†Dedicated Canadian franchise site (franchise.comfortkeepers.ca); multiple CFA Awards of Excellence and Franchisees' Choice recognitions displayed.
Ontario offices among the Canadian network; most offices independently owned and operated.
This is the first real decision in a Comfort Keepers resale — and it changes what you're buying, what you're taking on, and how the franchise agreement moves.
| Question | Asset purchase | Share purchase |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | The operating business — client service agreements, the caregiver team, office equipment, and the benefit of the existing franchise agreement, subject to franchisor consent. | The shares of the corporation holding the territory — its client contracts, staff relationships, and everything it owes. |
| Seller's liabilities | Generally stay behind with the seller's existing corporation. | Generally come with the company, known and unknown. |
| Franchisor consent & operator approval | Required for the specific territory, including the franchisor's own review of the incoming operator against its care standards. | Required for the change of control itself, alongside confirmation the territory carries over intact. |
| Client service & caregiver agreements | Assigned or re-signed into the buyer's name — retention through the handover is usually the single biggest driver of what the business is actually worth. | Generally continue uninterrupted, since the contracting corporation doesn't change. |
| Staff classification (ESA) | Employment Standards Act continuity typically applies to employed caregiving staff; contractor arrangements, if any, are reviewed separately for classification risk. | Employment and contractor arrangements generally continue as-is. |
| Tax angle | Buyer generally gets a stepped-up cost base on the assets purchased; an HST s.167 election may apply. | Seller may access the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying shares. |
The operating business — client service agreements, the caregiver team, office equipment, and the benefit of the existing franchise agreement, subject to franchisor consent.
The shares of the corporation holding the territory — its client contracts, staff relationships, and everything it owes.
Generally stay behind with the seller's existing corporation.
Generally come with the company, known and unknown.
Required for the specific territory, including the franchisor's own review of the incoming operator against its care standards.
Required for the change of control itself, alongside confirmation the territory carries over intact.
Assigned or re-signed into the buyer's name — retention through the handover is usually the single biggest driver of what the business is actually worth.
Generally continue uninterrupted, since the contracting corporation doesn't change.
Employment Standards Act continuity typically applies to employed caregiving staff; contractor arrangements, if any, are reviewed separately for classification risk.
Employment and contractor arrangements generally continue as-is.
Buyer generally gets a stepped-up cost base on the assets purchased; an HST s.167 election may apply.
Seller may access the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying shares.
We tell you which structure fits — before you sign anything.
No open-ended hourly surprises — the cost is confirmed in writing before any work begins.
| Type of work | Fee | How it's confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Straightforward purchase or sale | Starting from $3,388.87 Our charges · taxes included | Confirmed in writing once we see the agreement. |
| Larger or more complex deal | Quoted to scope | Short call → fixed written quote before any work begins. |
| Searches, filings & third-party fees | At cost | Itemized on your invoice, not marked up. |
A single territory changing hands between an outgoing owner-operator and an incoming buyer, with a caregiver team and client base reasonably expected to carry through.
Start my file →A multi-territory operator group, a deal where the franchisor's right of first refusal comes into play, or a sale where caregiver or client retention risk needs to be priced into the purchase terms.
Book a consultation →Not sure which you are? That's our job to figure out, not yours. As a rough guide, most deals under a couple of million dollars are the first kind — above that, you're usually in Mergers & Acquisitions territory.
Not directly in a legal sense — franchisor recognition programs speak to how the brand supports its network, but the resale approval process itself still runs on the franchisor's standard consent, disclosure, and operator-review steps like any other system.
Mostly the active client roster, the caregiver team, and the remaining term on the franchise agreement's territory. Office space is typically modest leased space, not a major asset, so diligence concentrates on the client and staff side of the business rather than the premises.
Generally no — franchisors in the non-medical home care sector typically screen incoming operators for business and financial capability, with the brand's own training covering care standards. That screening happens through the franchisor's process, separate from our legal work on your file.
They can, since employment relationships aren't guaranteed to continue by law alone — which is exactly why retention terms and, where appropriate, non-solicit obligations get negotiated into the purchase agreement rather than assumed.
Not automatically. Ontario courts read the franchise resale-disclosure exemption narrowly, and a franchisor's involvement in approving the sale can be enough to trigger full disclosure regardless of how the deal is framed. We confirm this early rather than assume it.
Related
Where we close franchise resale deals
Treadstone Law is an independent law firm. We act for buyers and sellers of franchise businesses. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or retained by Comfort Keepers or its franchisor.
Tell us about your Comfort Keepers resale — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.