Hiring tradespeople in Australia: licences, rights & checks

Hiring tradespeople in Australia: what's different

The general steps in our main hiring guide apply everywhere. In Australia, the big difference is that licensing is run by each state and territory, so the register you check depends on where the work is done.

Check the licence with your state

Most residential building, electrical, plumbing and gas work must be done by a licensed person, and the thresholds and categories differ by state. Ask for the licence number and check it yourself on the official register:

• New South Wales: NSW Fair Trading's licence check covers builders, electricians, plumbers and other trades.
• Victoria: the state building and plumbing regulator keeps the register of building and plumbing practitioners; Energy Safe Victoria licenses electricians.
• Queensland: the QBCC licence search covers building work above the licensing threshold, and electrical licences are issued by the Electrical Safety Office.
• Western Australia: Building and Energy (within the state's mines, industry regulation and safety department) licenses builders, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters.
• South Australia: Consumer and Business Services licenses builders and many trades.
• Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory run their own licensing schemes; search "licence check" with the territory or state name.

A licence check usually shows the licence class (what work they're allowed to do), whether it's current, and any disciplinary history.

Check the business

Look up the ABN on the Australian Business Register's ABN Lookup. It confirms the business name and whether it's registered for GST. A quote that adds GST should come from a business that's registered for it.

Home building insurance and contracts

For residential building work above a set value, most states require a written contract and some form of home warranty or home building compensation insurance, which protects you if the builder dies, disappears or becomes insolvent. Ask for the certificate before paying a deposit. States also limit deposits on residential building work; New South Wales, for example, caps it at 10% of the contract price. Check your state's consumer affairs website for current thresholds.

Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law

Services must be provided with due care and skill, be fit for any purpose you made known, and be completed within a reasonable time if no time was agreed. If a trader fails to meet these consumer guarantees, you're entitled to a remedy: having the problem fixed, or for a major failure, cancelling and getting a refund. The ACCC and your state fair trading office explain how to make a claim.

Door-to-door and phone sales ("unsolicited consumer agreements") come with extra protections, including a 10 business day cooling-off period, and traders can't take payment or start work during the first 10 business days except in limited cases.

Safety certificates

When an electrician finishes work, they generally must give you a certificate of compliance or safety. Plumbers and gas fitters lodge compliance certificates for regulated work. Keep these with your property documents; you may need them when selling or insuring.

Price guides

Our Australian price guide gives typical ranges for common services in each capital city, with the method explained. Use it as a sense check against quotes, not as a quote itself.

Finding local help

Browse local services by city and suburb, for example cleaning in Sydney. If you're unsure about a trader, check the licence, ABN and reviews, and get at least three written quotes.

If something goes wrong

1. Raise the problem with the trader in writing and give them a fair chance to fix it.
2. Contact your state's fair trading or consumer affairs office for advice and free dispute resolution services.
3. For building disputes, many states have specialist building dispute services or tribunals.
4. Report scams to Scamwatch and, for cybercrime, ReportCyber.