How to Choose a Tradie You Can Trust: Licences, Quotes and Red Flags

The safest way to choose a tradie is to check their licence on your state regulator's register before you ask for a single quote. If the licence checks out, get three written quotes, confirm the ABN on the paperwork, ask about insurance, and never pay the full amount up front. Most bad tradie stories start with someone skipping the first step because the bloke seemed nice on the phone.

TL;DR

Look the tradie up on your state's licence register first (QBCC in Queensland, the NSW licence check, the VBA in Victoria, Building and Energy in WA, Consumer and Business Services in SA). Electricians are usually on a separate register run by the electrical safety regulator. Get three written quotes that itemise labour, materials, timing and payment terms. Check the ABN at the Australian Business Register, ask for a public liability certificate, and read reviews on more than one site. Walk away from cash-only deals, pressure to decide today, and anyone who turns up uninvited after a storm.

Check the licence before anything else

Plumbing, electrical, gas and most building work above a small dollar threshold must be done by a licensed person in every state and territory. Ask for the licence number and the exact name it is held under, then check it yourself. A photo of a licence card proves nothing about whether the licence is current, suspended, or limited to a class of work that does not cover your job. A licensed carpenter is not licensed to rewire your switchboard.

Queensland

The Queensland Building and Construction Commission runs the register for builders, plumbers, roofers, painters and most other building trades. Search by name or licence number and read the licence classes listed.

New South Wales

The NSW Government licence check covers home building licences and tradesperson certificates issued through NSW Fair Trading, with status and conditions.

Victoria

The Victorian Building Authority keeps the register of building practitioners and plumbers. Use the VBA practitioner search.

Western Australia

Building and Energy licenses builders, painters, plumbers and electricians, and links to the public register for each.

South Australia

Consumer and Business Services runs the occupational licence register for building work contractors. Search for "CBS licence check" and use the register on the sa.gov.au domain.

Tasmania, ACT and NT

Licensing sits with Consumer, Building and Occupational Services in Tasmania, Access Canberra in the ACT, and the NT Government's building practitioner register. The business.gov.au licence finder helps if you are not sure which body covers a trade.

If the name on the register does not match the name on the quote, ask why. A trading name over a sole trader's personal licence is fine. A mate's borrowed licence is not.

Electricians are on a different register

In most states the building regulator does not license sparkies, so a search on the building register comes back empty even for a fully licensed electrician.

In Queensland, electrical licences are issued and searched through the Electrical Safety Office, not the QBCC. In Victoria it is Energy Safe Victoria, not the VBA. In NSW the electrical licence sits under Fair Trading, so the NSW licence check above will find it. In WA, Building and Energy handles both.

Ask an electrician for their electrical licence number specifically, and confirm they will supply a certificate of electrical safety or compliance certificate when the job is done. In most states that certificate is required by law.

Get three written quotes

Three quotes is less about price than about learning what the job involves. When three tradies have looked at the same bathroom and one has quoted half the others, you have a question to ask, and the answer will tell you a lot.

Get the quote in writing before any work starts. A number given over the phone is a guess, and it will be a different number by the time the invoice arrives. Give every tradie the same brief (what you want done, the fittings you have in mind, any dates that matter) so the quotes are comparable.

What a proper quote should contain

• The tradie's full business name, ABN and licence number
• A description of the work specific enough to argue about later ("supply and install 1 x 315L electric hot water system, remove and dispose of old unit")
• Materials and labour, itemised or as a fixed price for the whole job
• Whether GST is included
• Start date and expected finish date
• Payment terms, including any deposit and when progress payments fall due
• How long the quote is valid for
• What is excluded (council permits, work by another trade, rubbish removal, patching and painting)

The exclusions line is the one people skip and regret. A plumber who quotes to move a toilet is not quoting to retile the floor afterwards. Ask who does that part.

Quote versus estimate

A quote is a fixed price for a defined scope of work. If the scope does not change, the price should not change. An estimate is an educated guess that can move, and usually moves up.

An estimate is fair when nobody can see the full job yet, for example when the wall has to come off before anyone knows what the pipes look like. Ask for the unknowns to be named in writing, and for any variation to be quoted and approved in writing before the extra work happens. If the word "estimate" is on the document, treat the figure as a floor, not a ceiling.

Deposits and paying for the work

Never pay the full amount before the work is finished. A deposit to cover materials is normal on larger jobs. Paying everything up front leaves you with no bargaining power if the tradie disappears, goes slow, or does a poor job.

Several states cap the deposit a builder can ask for on home building work above a set contract value. Check the current figure with your state regulator before you hand over money. For small jobs, a modest deposit, a progress payment at a clear milestone, and the balance once you have inspected the finished work is a reasonable pattern.

Pay by bank transfer or card so there is a record. A discount for cash with no invoice usually means no GST, no ABN, and no paper trail when you need one.

Check the ABN and ask about insurance

Every legitimate trade business in Australia has an ABN, and it should appear on the quote and the invoice. Type it into the Australian Business Register lookup and confirm the name matches, the ABN is active, and it is registered for GST if GST appears on your quote. Every listing on The Local List is checked against the same register, which is what the ABN Verified badge means.

Then ask for a certificate of currency for public liability insurance. This is the policy that pays if the tradie damages your property or someone gets hurt on the job. Any established business can email it in minutes. If they cannot, that tells you something.

For larger building work, ask about home warranty or domestic building insurance too. The name and threshold vary by state, and the licence register often shows whether the builder holds it.

Read reviews on more than one site

Read reviews in at least two places, for example Google and a directory like The Local List, and look for patterns rather than single complaints. A tradie with forty reviews and two grumpy ones is a normal business. Twelve five-star reviews all posted in the same week is worth a second look.

Watch how the business replies to negative reviews. A calm, specific reply is a good sign. An angry reply is a preview of what happens if your job goes wrong. There is a reason we tell tradies that an online presence with real reviews wins them work: it is what customers are already checking.

Red flags that should end the conversation

• Cash only, or a discount for cash with no invoice
• No ABN on the quote, or an ABN that does not match the business name on the register
• No licence number, or a licence that is not in their name
• Pressure to decide today, or a "special price" that expires when they leave the driveway
• Door knockers after a storm offering roof, gutter or tree work on the spot
• No written quote, or a quote written on the back of a business card
• A request for the full amount up front, or a large deposit for a small job

Storm chasers deserve a special mention. After hail or wind damage, unlicensed operators go door to door with a ladder and a story about loose tiles. Do not agree to anything at the door. Take a card, then run the licence check.

What to do if it goes wrong

Put your complaint to the tradie in writing: what is wrong, what you want done, and by when. A lot of disputes end here.

If that fails, go to the regulator. In Queensland the QBCC handles complaints about defective building work and can direct a licensee to fix it. In NSW it is Fair Trading. In Victoria it is Consumer Affairs Victoria for the consumer side and the VBA for practitioner conduct. In WA it is Building and Energy, and in SA it is Consumer and Business Services. Each will want the written quote, the invoice, photos, and a copy of your written complaint. Money disputes go to the state civil and administrative tribunal (QCAT, NCAT, VCAT and their equivalents), which costs far less than a court.

Where to find licensed tradies near you

Search by suburb and trade, and start with listings carrying the ABN Verified badge. Browse plumbers, electricians, builders, roofers or painters, or narrow it to your state, for example plumbers in Queensland. Check the licence number against your state register, then get your three quotes.

To find a tradie in your suburb, search The Local List by suburb and trade.