The prosecutions resulted in convictions against 37 individuals and companies for offences including unlicensed building work without the appropriate licence, taking excessive deposits from consumers and failing to have compliant contracts in place before commencing work.
The convictions led to court-imposed fines totalling more than $380,000 and more than $157,000 in compensation orders. In one case, an offender was ordered to pay $70,000 in compensation to affected home owners.
QBCC CEO and Commissioner, Angelo Lambrinos, said the results reflected the regulator's ongoing commitment to protecting consumers and maintaining confidence in Queensland's building and construction industry.
"These prosecutions send a clear message that unlicensed and non-compliant building work will not be tolerated. Illegal operators put consumers at significant financial risk and can leave home owners with defective or incomplete work,” Mr Lambrinos said.
"The QBCC will continue to take strong enforcement action against those who disregard their legal obligations and undermine confidence in Queensland's building and construction sector.
“We are committed to maintaining a level playing field for all licensees. While our approach will always prioritise education and guidance in the first instance, we will take appropriate action where there is deliberate non-compliance or repeated offending.
“We also have zero tolerance for poor-quality work. Even where work has been removed or no longer exists, regulatory decisions and penalties may still apply based on the available evidence.”
Mr Lambrinos said the QBCC was focussed on prevention being better than cure.
"We are educating the industry through data, insights, fair regulation, and risk-based audits and compliance checks, focussing on early support, education and oversight to reduce costly mistakes and improve outcomes, all of which help build industry confidence,” Mr Lambrinos said.
"We know most people do the right thing and the proof of this comes from the ongoing audits and educational campaigns we conduct around the state."
In the 2025-26 financial year, QBCC compliance officers checked the licences of 1,412 individuals at 545 building sites, with 17 individuals found to have undertaken unlicensed building work. Of these, 12 received warnings, four were given penalty infringement notices and one received education about their legal obligations.
Mr Lambrinos said home owners could significantly safeguard their building or renovation project by undertaking appropriate checks before engaging a contractor.
"The QBCC encourages home owners to always verify a contractor's licence before engaging them to carry out building work," he said.
"We also encourage consumers to visit the QBCC website, which provides a comprehensive range of information, resources and practical guidance to help home owners make informed decisions throughout their building or renovation journey.
"This includes the QBCC's Home Owner Hub a free online resource that guides consumers through the building and renovating process, helping them avoid common pitfalls and better understand their rights, responsibilities and the protections available to them."
Mr Lambrinos said the recently launched QBCC Digital Licence had further improved transparency and accessibility for both licensees and consumers. As of 1 September, almost 11,000 licensees had taken up the digital licence.
Convictions recorded in 2025-26 financial year include:
2026
- Nicholas William Parsons – Convicted on 20 January 2026 in the Toowoomba Magistrates Court for 13 offences relating to unlicensed building work, improper use of a licence number, pretending to be a licensee, taking excessive deposits, and failing to have a compliant contract in place before work begins, at four different properties. He was fined $15,000.
- Christoper John Ravaillion – Convicted on 5 February 2026 in the Caboolture Magistrates Court on three charges relating to unlawfully carrying out building work, failure to have a compliant contract in place and taking excessive deposits. He was fined $5,000.
- Robert Waine Tayler – Convicted on 25 February 2026 in the Sandgate Magistrates Court for three offences relating to undertaking to carry out and carrying out building work without an appropriate licence, taking an excessive deposit and failing to have a compliant contract in place before commencing work. He was fined $13,750.
- Christopher Michael Bernard Bostock – Convicted on 6 February 2026 in the Pine Rivers Magistrates Court and again on 9 March 2026 in the Cleveland Magistrates Court for a total of five (5) offences relating to unlawfully carrying out building work, failing to have a compliant contract in place before starting work and taking excessive deposits at two different properties. He was fined a total of $27,500 and ordered to pay compensation of $1,961.50 to one of the affected home owners.
- Rhys David Goodall – Convicted on 26 March 2026 in the Cairns Magistrates Court for unlawfully carrying out building work. He was fined $10,500 and ordered to pay compensation of $1,159.40 to the affected home owner.
- Matthew Archer – Convicted on 10 April 2026 in the Ipswich Magistrates Court for three offences in relation to unlawfully carrying out building work, using another person’s licence to pretend to be a licensee, and commencing work without a compliant contract. He was fined $12,000 and ordered to pay $70,000 in compensation to the affected home owners.
- Christian Gett – Convicted on 22 May 2026 in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court for three (3) offences in relation to unlawfully carrying out building work, commencing work without a compliant contract, and taking excess deposits. He was fined $14,000 and ordered to pay $5,169.50 in compensation to the affected home owner.
- Jorge Antonio Lopez Vaquero – Convicted on 22 May 2026 in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court for five (5) offences in relation to unlawfully carrying out building work, commencing work without a compliant contract, and taking excess deposits at two different properties. He was fined $13,000 and ordered to pay $2,697.00 in compensation to one of the affected home owners.
2025
- Andrew Vincent Leonard – Convicted on 4 July 2025 in the Pine Rivers Magistrates Court for two offences of unlawful building work and commencing work without a compliant contract. He was fined $7,000 and ordered to pay compensation of $20,000 to the affected home owners.
- Barron River Bathroom Renovations Pty Ltd – Convicted on 25 July 2025 in the Cairns Magistrates Court for two offences of unlicensed building work and taking excess deposits. The company was fined $15,000.
- James Carsten Christensen – Convicted on 15 September 2025 in the Rockhampton Magistrates Court for seven offences, including carrying out unlicensed building work, improper use of a licence number, commencing work without a compliant contract and taking excess deposits at two Rockhampton properties. He was fined $15,000 and ordered to pay compensation of $14,621 to the affected home owners.
- Sapati Michael Faraimo – Convicted on 19 November 2025 in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court for two offences of unlawful building work and failing to have a compliant contract in place prior to commencing work. He was fined $15,000.
- Cameron James Bedford – Convicted on 12 December 2025 in the Brisbane Magistrates Court for nine offences relating to unlawfully carrying out building work at five Brisbane properties. He was fined $15,000 and ordered to pay compensation exceeding $52,000 to the affected home owners.
