Almost every bad building experience we hear about started with a decision made on price and availability alone. The checks below are quick, and they filter out most of the risk.
1. Check the licence properly
Ask for the licence number, then verify it yourself through the NSW licence check service. Confirm:
- The licence is current
- The class of licence covers the work you need
- The value of work is within what the licence permits
- The licensed entity is the same business you will contract with
A number on a quote proves nothing on its own. The check takes two minutes.
2. Confirm insurance
- Public liability
- Workers compensation, if they have employees
- Home building compensation cover for residential work above the threshold value
Ask for certificates of currency, not assurances.
3. Look at the business details
- An ABN you can look up, with a registration history
- The trading name matching the licence and the ABN
- A fixed address or at least a verifiable business location
- A landline or a consistently answered mobile
- A business email address rather than only a free webmail account
- Written quotes on business letterhead
None of these prove workmanship. Collectively they tell you whether you are dealing with an established business or someone who may not be contactable in six months.
4. Assess their online presence sensibly
This is where a bit of judgement helps. A professional website does not guarantee good workmanship, and some excellent tradespeople have a very modest online presence. What a website does let you do is verify the business and understand what it actually does:
- Licence number published, which you can then check independently
- The services they genuinely specialise in, rather than a list of everything
- Real project photos, ideally of work like yours, including work in progress rather than only finished shots
- The suburbs and areas they actually work in
- Clear contact details and business information
- Consistency between the website, their social media and their quote
Well built tradie websites make this verification straightforward, because the licence details, service list and project history are all in one place and easy to cross check. A thin website with stock photos, no licence number and no location tells you something too, and it is worth asking more questions in that situation.
Then look at reviews across more than one platform. Read the middle ratings rather than only the best and worst, since they are usually the most informative. Look for how the business responds to a complaint, because that is the behaviour you will experience if something goes wrong on your job.
5. Ask for references and see work in progress
- Two or three recent clients you can call
- A current site you can visit, even briefly
A live site tells you more than a photo gallery. Look at whether it is tidy, whether materials are protected, and whether the work in progress looks square and considered.
6. Compare quotes on the same scope
- Give every trade the same written scope
- Ask for line items and clear exclusions
- Be wary of a quote well below the others with no explanation
- Confirm whether allowances or fixed prices are used
Detail is the signal. A quote that takes the time to state exclusions is usually from someone who has thought about the job.
7. Notice how they communicate
- Did they turn up when they said they would?
- Did the quote arrive when promised?
- Do they answer questions directly, including the awkward ones?
- Do they tell you what could go wrong, not just what will go right?
Communication before the job is the best available predictor of communication during it.
Red flags
| Red flag | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Cash only, or a discount for cash | No paper trail and possibly no warranty |
| Large upfront deposit | Cash flow problems, or worse |
| No written quote | Nothing you can hold them to |
| Pressure and expiring discounts | Sales tactics rather than trade practice |
| Cannot produce a licence or insurance | Do not proceed |
| Vague about who will do the work | You may not get the people you assessed |
Then read the contract
Questions to ask a builder before signing a building contract covers scope, payments, variations, delays and defects. If your job is a specific piece of work rather than a whole project, when to hire a carpenter instead of a handyman is useful.
About us
ORT Constructions is a licensed Sydney builder, NSW Licence No. 380408C, working across renovations, extensions, carpentry, concreting and decks and pergolas. We are happy to be checked against every item on this list.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I verify a builder's licence in NSW?
- Use the NSW Government licence check service to confirm the licence number, class and status, then make sure the licensed entity is the one named on your quote and contract.
- Does a good website mean a good builder?
- No. A website cannot demonstrate workmanship. What it can do is help you verify the business, see the services it specialises in and review previous projects before you make contact.
- How many quotes should I get?
- Around three, all priced against the same written scope. Comparing quotes with different scopes creates confusion rather than useful information.
- What is the biggest warning sign?
- Reluctance to provide a licence number, insurance certificates or a written quote. All three are easy to produce for a legitimate business.
