Check a builder in Queensland before you sign.

How do you check a builder is licensed in Queensland?

To check a builder in Queensland, search the QBCC licensed contractor register, the Queensland Government tool, by name, business name or licence number. It returns the licence held, the class of work it authorises, its status as at the day you look, and details recorded against it. Residential building work valued at more than $3,300 in materials, labour and GST must be done by a QBCC-licensed contractor, so an unlicensed name on a quote is the first thing to reconcile.

The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) is Queensland's statutory building regulator. It licenses building contractors and trades, administers the home-warranty scheme, and handles building disputes. The register you search is free and public, and you do not need the builder's permission to look. The QBCC calls the public search its Find a local contractor tool.

The single most useful thing the register shows you is the name a licence is actually held under. A licence held by one entity does not cover work you contract through a different trading name or a related company. Match the exact name and licence class on the register to the name that will sit on your building contract and take your deposit.

Our instant check reads the QBCC register for the licence numbers on record against the entity you give us, the same public register you can search yourself, and reports what it holds alongside the company and ABN records. It reports the licence as it stands on the day of the check, so the date matters and every fact carries its source.

Do you need builders insurance in Queensland, and who pays for it?

In Queensland, cover under the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme is compulsory for residential construction work valued at more than $3,300, including materials, labour and GST. The licensed contractor collects the premium from the owner and pays it to the QBCC before work begins. This is a Queensland Government statutory scheme administered by the QBCC itself, so the premium goes to the regulator rather than to a private insurer.

The scheme covers non-completion of contracted work, defective work, subsidence and settlement, and certain fire, storm and theft damage. It pays up to a maximum of $200,000 per claim, and cover generally lasts six years and six months. Because the contractor collects the premium and pays it to the QBCC before starting, you can confirm the scheme applies to your job and that the premium has been handled before the deposit leaves your account.

The very low $3,300 trigger is one of the lowest in Australia, so most residential jobs above a minor repair fall inside the compulsory scheme. That means the written-contract requirement and the home-warranty cover attach together at the same threshold. Reconcile the licensed entity named on the contract against the contractor paying the premium, since the scheme responds in relation to the licensed contractor who did the work.

What do Queensland contract, deposit and cooling-off rules require?

A written domestic building contract is required in Queensland for residential building work valued above $3,300. There are two contract tiers: a Level 1 contract for work valued $3,301 to $19,999, and a Level 2 contract for work valued $20,000 and over. The maximum deposit depends on the tier: 20% for works valued $3,300 or less, 10% for a Level 1 contract, and 5% for a Level 2 contract. Where more than half the contract price is off-site or prefabricated work, the deposit can be up to 20%.

The deposit caps are a consumer protection, not a guideline. A request for 20% up front on a standard Level 2 home build, where the cap is 5%, sits outside the Queensland rules and is worth pausing on. The contract should also name the licensed contractor, carry the licence number, and align with the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme premium for work over $3,300.

Queensland gives owners a cooling-off period of five business days on a domestic building contract. It starts the day after the owner receives a signed copy of the whole contract, and for contracts valued $20,000 and over, a copy of the QBCC Consumer Building Guide. Checking the licensed entity, the deposit against the cap, and the home-warranty position while the cooling-off period is still open puts the decision in your hands before the money moves.

When do you need an owner-builder permit in Queensland?

In Queensland, an owner-builder permit is required for residential building work valued at more than $11,000, and the permit is issued by the QBCC. Generally, a person can be granted only one owner-builder permit every six years, so it is not a route to be used repeatedly for successive projects.

For a buyer, the owner-builder distinction matters when reading a property's history. Work carried out under an owner-builder permit is not carried out by a licensed contractor and is generally not covered by the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme in the way contracted work is. Knowing whether recent work on a property was done by a licensed contractor or under an owner-builder permit changes what records exist to read.

Where do building disputes go in Queensland?

In Queensland, a building dispute goes first through the QBCC Early Dispute Resolution (EDR) process, which is the mandatory first step. A QBCC officer reviews the matter and attempts to facilitate agreement between the owner and the contractor. Parties must participate in the QBCC process before applying to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT), and a QCAT building application must be accompanied by a QBCC letter about the outcome of that process.

Knowing the path in advance changes how you read a builder before you sign. A builder whose licensed entity differs from the one on the quote, or one whose licence does not authorise the work quoted, is harder to pursue through EDR and QCAT later. The point of checking first is to make the decision while you still hold the deposit and the cooling-off period is open, not once the money has moved.

What makes checking a Queensland builder different?

Queensland runs its home-warranty scheme through the regulator itself. Unlike states where a private insurer or a separate fund carries the cover, the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme premium is paid to the QBCC, the same body that licenses the contractor and runs the disputes process. For a buyer, that concentrates the record: the licence, the warranty cover and the dispute history all sit with one government body.

Queensland also sets an unusually low threshold. The compulsory home-warranty cover and the written-contract requirement both attach at more than $3,300, one of the lowest triggers in Australia, so the great majority of residential jobs sit inside the regulated regime rather than outside it.

Behind the licence sits a continuous financial test most states do not publish. QBCC licensees must continuously meet Minimum Financial Requirements, including a current ratio of at least 1:1, Net Tangible Assets of at least $0, and a maximum-revenue cap, with annual financial reporting. This solvency regime is designed to protect subcontractors and suppliers, and it means a Queensland builder's licence carries a financial-standing dimension that a bare licence line in other states does not.

What does a Property Assurance check cover in Queensland?

A free Property Assurance check reads the public registers for the builder you name and reports what they hold, sourced and dated. Company identity and external administration signals come from national records, so they are part of the instant check everywhere. Whether the QLD builder licence itself is read in the instant pass or checked by an analyst depends on the state.

The full human-reviewed report adds the checks the instant pass does not cover: licence status, class and conditions, director and related-company history, disputes and the insurance position, each sourced and dated.

What are the builder licence classes in Queensland?

Queensland issues building licences in classes, and the class sets what work the holder is authorised to do. Matching the class to the work in your quote is part of reading a licence properly, not just confirming one exists.

What does our own QLD data hold?

Our register index already holds 1,300 Queensland building companies and contractors, published as individual pages. Of those, 1,300 carry a building licence number on a state register, and 21 carry at least one external administration signal in the national ASIC company dataset. These are aggregate counts only, sourced and dated, and we never make an adverse claim about a named business here.

You can browse every Queensland builder page from the Queensland builder register hub, or run a free check on the exact builder you are considering.

What is worth checking before you sign in Queensland?

Before you sign a building contract or pay a deposit in Queensland, a short list of checks reconciles the sales material with the public record. None of these characterise a builder. They confirm the paperwork matches the entity.

• The name and licence class on the QBCC register match the company and ABN that will sign your contract and take the deposit.
• For work over $3,300, the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme applies and the contractor has arranged the premium with the QBCC before starting.
• The deposit asked for is within the cap for the contract tier: 10% for a Level 1 contract, 5% for a Level 2 contract.
• The licence class on the register actually authorises the work you are quoting, not just building work in general.
• The trading name in the sales material resolves to a real, current QBCC-licensed entity, not a related name with no licence of its own.

Questions about checking a builder in Queensland

How do I check if a builder is licensed in Queensland?

Search the QBCC licensed contractor register, the Queensland Government tool, by name, business name or licence number. It returns the licence held, the class of work it authorises, its status as at the date you check, and details recorded against it. Our free check also matches the trading name to the company and ABN records and reads the QBCC register for the licence numbers on record.

Do you need builders insurance in Queensland?

Yes. For residential construction work valued at more than $3,300, including materials, labour and GST, cover under the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme is compulsory. The licensed contractor collects the premium from the owner and pays it to the QBCC before work begins. It is a Queensland Government statutory scheme administered by the QBCC, covering non-completion, defective work, subsidence and settlement, and certain fire, storm and theft damage, up to $200,000 per claim.

Who pays the home warranty premium in Queensland?

The licensed contractor collects the premium from the owner and pays it to the QBCC before work begins. The Queensland Home Warranty Scheme is run by the QBCC itself as a statutory scheme, so the premium goes to the regulator rather than to a private insurer.

How much deposit can a Queensland builder ask for?

It depends on the contract tier. The maximum is 20% for works valued $3,300 or less, 10% for a Level 1 contract ($3,301 to $19,999), and 5% for a Level 2 contract ($20,000 and over). Where more than half the contract price is off-site or prefabricated work, the deposit can be up to 20%.

Is there a cooling-off period on a Queensland building contract?

Yes. Queensland gives owners five business days to cool off on a domestic building contract. It starts the day after the owner receives a signed copy of the whole contract, and for contracts valued $20,000 and over, a copy of the QBCC Consumer Building Guide.

Who regulates builders in Queensland?

The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) regulates the Queensland building industry, licensing contractors and trades, running the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme, and handling disputes. Building disputes go first through QBCC Early Dispute Resolution and then, if unresolved, to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT), with a QBCC letter accompanying the QCAT application.

What does a free Queensland builder check show me?

Our instant check matches the builder name to the company and ABN on the ASIC and Australian Business Register records, reads the QBCC register for the licence numbers on record, and reports the count of any external administration signals in the ASIC dataset. Every fact is sourced and dated, and we never rate or score anyone.

What does the QBCC register not show?

The register records the licence and its class as they stand, not the quality of a builder's work, and it does not by itself connect the licence to the company taking your deposit, the directors behind it, or matters on other registers. That connective work is what the full report and an analyst check add.

How do I check a builder's insurance in QLD?

Confirm the builder's licence by name for free on the QBCC licensed contractor register, then confirm the Queensland Home Warranty premium has been paid on your contract. There is no free insurance search by builder name; an owner, purchaser or their agent can order a per-property insurance search from the QBCC for a fee to see the cover recorded for a specific address. Cover is required on residential work over $3,300.