Builders near you

There is no single national builder's licence. Each state and territory runs its own scheme, with its own classes, its own value thresholds and its own public register, so a contractor licensed in one state is not automatically entitled to contract in the next one. Ask which licence class the contractor holds, then look the number up yourself on that state's register rather than relying on a number printed on a quote or a website.

Planning approval and building approval are separate questions, and the answer depends on your state and your council. In New South Wales there are three pathways. Minor work that meets every standard in the Codes SEPP can be exempt development and needs no consent. Straightforward work that meets the standards can go through complying development, a combined planning and construction approval that a council or a registered certifier can issue, and which the Department of Planning describes as a fast-track assessment taking around twenty days against roughly seventy for a typical development application. Anything that misses those standards needs a development application to the council, followed by a construction certificate before work starts.

Other states run their own systems, and a building permit is usually required for structural work: in Western Australia, for example, Building and Energy tells owners to obtain a building permit from the local government before construction begins. Wherever you are, you appoint the certifier or surveyor, not the builder. NSW makes the point bluntly on its approvals page: it is illegal for a builder to influence your choice of certifier, and the principal certifier has to notify the council before work begins.

Describing the job well is what gets you comparable quotes. On LokalMatch you set out the renovation once, including the rooms, the scope, your postcode and roughly when you want to start, and builders working in that area contact you directly. The pros pay for the requests they receive, which is how the service is funded. LokalMatch does not carry out the work, does not set or quote prices, and does not vet, rank or recommend anyone, so verifying the licence, sighting the insurance certificate and calling past clients remain yours to do.

Residential builders' insurance is not the builder's public liability cover and it is not a product warranty. It is a state scheme that pays the homeowner when a builder cannot put things right because of death, disappearance, insolvency or the loss of a licence. Queensland's Home Warranty Scheme, taken out by the contractor before insurable work starts and running for six years and six months, is one example; New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia run comparable schemes under different names. In New South Wales, where the work needs that cover, it is illegal for the contractor to ask for any payment at all, including the deposit, until the cover is in place and the certificate has been given to you.

Separately, statutory warranties are implied into the contract by law and cannot be written out of it. New South Wales applies six years for major defects and two years for other defects, regardless of what the contract says. The Australian Consumer Law then sits over the top of everything: services must be provided with due care and skill, be fit for the purpose you made known and be delivered in a reasonable time, and the ACCC states plainly that businesses cannot take those rights away. Consumer guarantees are enforced by the ACCC together with the state and territory fair trading offices.

Victoria also runs a free conciliation service for domestic building disputes between owners and builders. It is worth knowing about before a dispute starts, because an eligible Victorian dispute has to go through that service first, and VCAT will not accept an application without the resulting certificate.

An owner-builder permit lets you supervise and coordinate work on your own home instead of engaging a licensed builder to do it. In New South Wales a permit is needed for owner-builder work above a set value on a dwelling that requires development consent or is complying development, larger projects require approved education, a white card is required, and only one permit may be granted in a five-year period. Queensland has its own owner-builder permit and a limited exemption for low-value work on your own property.

The trade-off is responsibility. NSW states it directly: an owner-builder is just as responsible for the building work as a fully licensed builder would be, which covers safety, building standards and compliance. You do not take out residential builders' insurance for work you do yourself, but any trade business you engage above the insurance threshold must have that cover and must give you the certificate before starting work or taking any payment. Selling within the statutory period also carries disclosure obligations, so read your state's rules before deciding.