Don’t risk working with an unlicensed Sydney builder

So you’ve finally decided that your home needs a renovation. What do you do now? Aside from making sure you know your renovation goals, the next step is hiring a builder who can help you execute your vision but also remain legally compliant with all council and building regulations.

This all comes down to hiring a fully licensed Sydney builder.

So how do you check if your Sydney home builder is licensed?

Get onto the NSW Fair Trading website

Builders need to have a licence before they can carry out work in NSW. Go to the NSW Fair Trading website which registers every single licensed builder.

You can use any or a combination of the following information to research the licence details of the builder you are planning on engaging:

• licensee name
• licence number
• trade
• suburb

If  you can’t find a valid licence for the builder, then contact NSW Fair Trading to confirm the information.

Validate the licence?

Every Sydney builder must carry a licence for the following:

• residential building work that costs more than $5,000 in labour and materials
• all specialist work no matter the cost – these include plumbing, electrical wiring, draining, air conditioning, gasfitting work and refrigeration work.

You should also check if there is a green tick before the licence record. This means that the licence is current. The start date also tells you when it was added to the licence record. However, if you see a grey cross then this means the licence is no longer current.

You can see the start date and end date including any conditions to why the record has a grey cross.

Once you’ve checked the validity of the licence then you can check for other things like insurance, quality of work, project reference and if they have other relevant experience for your renovation project.

Why do you need to check for licence?

The answer may seem obvious but aside from ensuring you don’t take a risk on someone unlicensed, it ultimately protects you in these ways:

• ensures you deal with a legitimate business
• guarantees your job is done to a high quality standard
• provides better consumer protection should something go wrong
• helps keep dodgy builders out of the industry

Licence checks are one thing. You can further check the credibility of the builder and if they are affiliated with trusted networks and listings like Tradebusters Connect. They provide fully vetted and licensed builders and other trade professionals.

Looking for trusted builders and local tradies? Who do you call?

The Tradebusters free tradie concierge service can help you from start to end.

From builders, painters, electricians, plumbers, bathroom and kitchen renovators and more, we have you covered for your jobs, big or small.

To get started, you can tell us about your job right here or call 1800 TBUSTERS (828 783).

More Useful Links:

Sydney Renovations

Melbourne Renovations

Perth Renovations

Brisbane Renovations