Checking your contractor or tradesperson is qualified

Who needs to be licensed?

Building or renovating your home is one of the largest investments you will ever make.

A licence is required for:

• residential building work valued at more than $5,000 (incl GST) in labour and materials
• all specialist work regardless of its cost.

Specialist work includes electrical wiring, plumbing, drainage and gasfitting work and air conditioning and refrigeration work (except plug-in appliances).

Go to our licences and registrations page to find out about the different types of home building licences in NSW.

About the licence check

The licence check will tell you the licence holder's:

• name
• number/s
• categories (or types) and
• expiry dates

It will also show you more information, including:

• details of what type of licence or certificate is held, and its current status
• details of any cancellation or suspension under the Home Building Act 1989 (the Act) or the Fair Trading Act 1987
• details of any conditions endorsed on the licence, details of public warnings issued regarding the holder under section 23 of the Act, formal cautions, penalty infringement notices and any instances of non-compliance with a related tribunal order
• the results of any prosecution against the holder under the Act (other than any prosecution that does not result in the holder being found guilty of an offence under the Act)
   

For full details of what information can be found on the licence check, refer to clause 69 of the Home Building Regulation 2014.

Do a home building licence check

Tips for choosing a contractor or tradesperson

• Get more than one written quote.
• Ask for references and examples of past work.
• Don’t pay any money without a written contract.

Go to our licence classes and qualifications page to find out about the different types of home building licences in NSW.

Owner-builder permit check

The owner-builder permit check will show you if a property had an owner-builder permit issued for residential building work in the last 10 years.

It will also provide you with the name and address of the holder and a description of work the permit authorised the holder to do.

Do an owner-builder permit check

Don’t forget to read about your rights and responsibilities when you do home building and renovation work.