Working with someone unlicensed has significant risks, including an increased likelihood of defective and unfinished work. It may also void your access to Queensland Home Warranty Insurance, a scheme designed to cover home owners for loss if something goes wrong during the building process.
Before you hire a contractor: check their QBCC licence
Before you sign a contract or hand over money, always ask to see your contractor’s QBCC licence – either their physical card or digital licence on their phone.
A digital QBCC licence has the same legal standing as a physical card and makes it easy to confirm a contractor is licensed and authorised to do the work. Checking first helps protect your home and your access to Queensland Home Warranty Insurance.
🎦 Watch this video to learn why it's important to choose a licensed contractor – protect your home by checking first.
With the popularity of do-it-yourself (DIY) programs and social media accounts, it’s easy to see why people might think a home renovation can be completed quickly and easily, but the reality is often more complex.
In Queensland, individuals and companies must hold a QBCC licence to carry out building work that is:
valued over $3,300
valued over $1,100 where it involves hydraulic services design
of any value where it involves:
plumbing or drainage
gas fitting
termite management – chemical
fire protection
completed residential building inspection
building design – low rise, medium rise and open
site classification
mechanical services.
Licensed contractors are qualified professionals who work to standard to ensure the safety, accessibility and sustainability of our built environment. If you’re not familiar with what those standards are, the National Construction Code is Australia’s rule book for how new homes must be designed and built, and how plumbing and drainage should be installed in both new and existing buildings. In some cases, it also applies to new building or plumbing work done on existing properties. The Queensland Development Code (QDC) works alongside the NCC and sets out additional, state-specific requirements that apply to building work in Queensland including matters such as energy efficiency, swimming pool safety, fire safety, and standards for certain types of structures.
