How do I check a builder in NSW or Queensland?

Read the public registers. Confirm the ABN on the Australian Business Register, the company and its directors on ASIC, the licence on Verify NSW or the QBCC, and search the courts, tribunals and regulator registers. Property Assurance reads all 27 points for you and dates every fact.

Which builder checks are free?

Four are free and instant: ABN and GST status (ABR), company status and age (ASIC), deregistration (ASIC), and licence status (Verify NSW or QBCC). The remaining 23 checks are read for the full report and reviewed by a person.

Do you score or rate builders?

No. Property Assurance reports what the public record holds, with every fact sourced and dated. We never rate, rank or characterise any business. You read the facts and decide.

Where does the data come from?

Only public government registers: the ABR, ASIC, Verify NSW, the QBCC, icare HBCF, and Australian courts and tribunals. Every fact names its register and the date it was read.

What do the 27 checks cover?

They group into the report's six sections: licensing, company and directors, insurance eligibility, courts and tribunals, regulatory actions, and insolvency notices. Each section names the public register behind it.

The 27 Checks

A check turns scattered public records into one plain report. Here is every point it reads, grouped the way the report groups them: what each point tells you, and the public register it comes from. We report what the record holds; we do not rate, rank or characterise any business.

The framework is 27 points total: 4 free + 23 locked (PRO).

How do you check a builder in Australia?

Property Assurance runs 27 checks on any NSW or Queensland builder, reading only public government registers. Four checks are free and instant: ABN and GST status, company status and age, deregistration, and licence status. The other 23 are human-reviewed in the full report. Every fact is sourced and dated, and no builder is ever scored.

Method current as at 12 Jul 2026

The four free, instant checks and the register behind each.
Free check	Public register	Availability
ABN & GST status (ABR)	ABR	Free · instant
Company status & age (ASIC)	ASIC	Free · instant
Deregistration check (ASIC)	ASIC	Free · instant
Licence status (Verify NSW / QBCC)	Verify NSW / QBCC	Free · instant

4 points run free and instant; the remaining 23 are read for the PRO report and reviewed by a human. Every point names the public register behind it.

Agency and register names identify the public sources of data only; no affiliation or endorsement is implied or exists.

Licensing

The licence is current and in the right class for your job - so the person quoting is allowed to do the work.
Licence status (Verify NSW / QBCC)Source: Verify NSW / QBCC
Free · instant
The exact licence classes the holder carries - so the licence actually covers the work your job needs.
Licence classes heldSource: Verify NSW / QBCC
Any conditions or restrictions sitting on the licence - so you know its limits before work starts.
Licence conditions & restrictionsSource: Verify NSW / QBCC
That the name, ABN and licence all point to the same entity - so the details on your quote line up across every register.
Identity & register cross-match: name, ABN and licence consistencySource: ABR / Verify NSW

Company & Directors

The business on your quote exists, its ABN is active and it is GST-registered - so your contract names a real, current entity.
ABN & GST status (ABR)Source: ABR
Free · instant
The company is registered and how long it has traded - so the name on your paperwork is a current, standing entity.
Company status & age (ASIC)Source: ASIC
Free · instant
Whether the company has been deregistered - so you are not signing with an entity that no longer legally exists.
Deregistration check (ASIC)Source: ASIC
Free · instant
The other companies these directors run - so you can see the full web of entities behind one name.
Director cross-directorshipsSource: ASIC
The directors' earlier companies, including ones that failed - so you know the track record of who you are dealing with.
Directors' former companies, including failed companiesSource: ASIC
Whether a director sits on ASIC's banned or disqualified registers - so a barred operator cannot hide behind a new company.
ASIC banned & disqualified registersSource: ASIC
The company's registered details and addresses - so the paperwork matches the people quoting you.
Registered company details & addressesSource: ASIC
Who owns and controls the company - so you know who really stands behind the contract.
Ownership & shareholdersSource: ASIC
The business names the entity has registered - so a trading name traces back to a real registered owner.
Business name registrationsSource: ASIC / ABR
How long the company has actually traded - so a brand-new shell is not presented as an established builder.
Company age & trading historySource: ASIC
Past deregistrations and strike-off notices - so a pattern of companies wound up and restarted is visible.
Historical deregistrations & strike-off noticesSource: ASIC

Insurance Eligibility

Whether the builder is eligible for the home building insurance your contract may require - so you are not left uninsured mid-build.
Home building insurance eligibilitySource: icare HBCF

Courts & Tribunals

Court judgments recorded against the business - so you see the outcomes other parties have already won or lost.
Court judgmentsSource: Court registers
Tribunal matters involving the business - so published disputes with other homeowners are on the table before you sign.
Tribunal historySource: Tribunal registers

Regulatory Actions

Disciplinary actions a state regulator has taken - so a regulator's own findings are in front of you.
State regulator disciplinary actionsSource: NSW Fair Trading
Public enforcement the ACCC has taken over the business - so you see what a national regulator has already acted on.
ACCC public warningsSource: ACCC
Enforceable undertakings the business has given a regulator - so promises made under legal pressure are visible.
Court-enforceable undertakingsSource: ACCC / regulators
Work health and safety prosecutions on record - so a poor safety history does not reach your site unseen.
Work safety prosecutionsSource: SafeWork registers
A read of the business's published contract terms - so one-sided or unusual clauses are flagged before you sign.
Subject's published contract terms reviewSource: Manual review
A human assessor's news and record search - so anything the registers miss is still chased down by hand.
Assessor's manual research & news search, human-runSource: Assessor research

Insolvency Notices

Any insolvency or external administration on record - so you know whether the entity behind your build is financially intact.
Insolvency & external administration noticesSource: ASIC published notices
Payment defaults recorded against the business - so a history of unpaid debts is on the table before you commit.
Payment defaultsSource: Credit default registers
Any flagged tax debt the ATO has reported - so unpaid obligations to the tax office are visible.
ATO debt flagSource: ATO

Questions people ask before they check a builder

How do I check a builder in NSW or Queensland?: Read the public registers. Confirm the ABN on the Australian Business Register, the company and its directors on ASIC, the licence on Verify NSW or the QBCC, and search the courts, tribunals and regulator registers. Property Assurance reads all 27 points for you and dates every fact.
Which builder checks are free?: Four are free and instant: ABN and GST status (ABR), company status and age (ASIC), deregistration (ASIC), and licence status (Verify NSW or QBCC). The remaining 23 checks are read for the full report and reviewed by a person.
Do you score or rate builders?: No. Property Assurance reports what the public record holds, with every fact sourced and dated. We never rate, rank or characterise any business. You read the facts and decide.
Where does the data come from?: Only public government registers: the ABR, ASIC, Verify NSW, the QBCC, icare HBCF, and Australian courts and tribunals. Every fact names its register and the date it was read.
What do the 27 checks cover?: They group into the report's six sections: licensing, company and directors, insurance eligibility, courts and tribunals, regulatory actions, and insolvency notices. Each section names the public register behind it.

The framework

This is the framework every report is prepared to - the Property Assurance Standard

27 checks across Australian public registers. Human-reviewed. Every fact sourced and dated. Never scored.

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