Key Takeaways
- The QBCC is responsible for regulating the building industry across Queensland, holding builders and companies accountable for bad practices or unsafe work
- The QBCC hands out points, infringements, and bans to builders or companies who carry out unsafe work or go bankrupt
- Information about a builder's previous infringements, bans, and how many houses they have built can be found by checking their QBCC license online through the QBCC’s website
Are you looking to have building work carried out on your home and aren’t sure how to find the right builder? You should check with the QBCC! The Queensland Building and Construction Commission are responsible for the licenses of all builders and building companies in Queensland, keeping detailed information about their performance and any defective work they have completed. Access to this information allows you to find the right builder and avoid getting burned by poor or unsafe practices. Want to know more? Let us show you how to check your builder's license with the QBCC today!
Who are the QBCC?
The QBCC, or Queensland Building and Construction Commission, regulates Queensland's building and construction industry. Created in 1991 by the Queensland government, their role is to regulate the building industry, ensuring that builders operate safely and fairly. All builders must have a license to work as builders in Queensland, and you can use their license number to learn more about their performance as a builder or company.
The QBCC is made up of three parties:
- The Queensland Building and Construction Board
- The commissioner and organisational unit
- The Services Trades Council
The QBCC works to provide advice and information to builders and consumers, regulating building standards across Queensland. They do this for old and new buildings, ensuring everyone can access a safe home. They also help address any defective building work, holding builders accountable and ensuring you get the necessary repairs.
How does the QBCC help with defective work?
Should you have defective work completed by a builder, the QBCC has several ways to hold the builders and building companies responsible, ensuring you get the repairs you need. These methods include bans, infringement notices, and disqualifications. We have detailed the main ways the QBCC can hold builders accountable below:
Infringement Notices
Infringement notices can be given when builders commit an offence, like providing unsafe or substandard work. These infringement notices come with a fine, over $30,000, even for a first offence. Infringement notices are delivered to builders and they have twenty-eight days to pay them. They can choose to contest the infringement notice too, and these issues are addressed in court, where a judge decides the outcome.
Demerit Points and Disqualifications
Demerit points and disqualifications act like points on a driver’s license. Each offence a builder commits can be two to ten points on their QBCC license. The offences they can receive points for vary, and you can see a full list of them on the QBCC’s website.
Should a builder receive 30 demerit points in the space of three years, they will face a three-year ban.
Exclusions and Bans
Exclusions and bans are the most severe actions the QBCC will take. Should a secretary, director, or influential person in the building company go bankrupt, they become an excluded person, and the company becomes an excluded company. If a business is excluded twice, it is permanently excluded and unable to carry out building work in Queensland.
When someone is excluded, they cannot hold a contractors, nominee supervisors, or supervisor's license. They are also unable to run a licensed company. Building companies can also be banned if a secretary, director, or influential person conducts Tier 1 defective work. Tire 1 defective work is classified as destructive, dangerous, or prevents someone from living in their home.
When a company or builder receives these exclusions or bans, the information remains on their license for ten years. After this time, it will be removed or removed sooner if the person responsible for the exclusion or ban leaves the company.
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How to Check a Builder’s QBCC Licence
Checking a builder's QBCC license is pretty straightforward and can be done in a few simple steps. We have broken them down for you and included images so you can see what it will look like every step of the way!
Step 1
To start, open your web browser and visit Queensland Building and Construction Commission’s website. From here, you can search for builders using the information you have been provided by them or what is visible on their website.
Step 2
Next, enter either the license number of the builder or the company if you have it. Don’t worry if you don’t have this information, as you can also enter the builder’s surname and first name, or their company name.
Step 3
After you have entered the information, press search. Depending on the results, one or more blue links should appear, with the builders license number and name. You might need to scroll through a few to see your builder’s name and license number, especially if they have a more popular name.
Step 4
Once you have found them, click on ‘licensee’s full history’. This will prompt a PDF containing all the information you need about your builder.
Step 5
The first page of the PDF document should have a subheading titled ‘disciplinary record.’ Head to this section to see whether they have had any disciplinary situations. This is usually labelled as yes or no. If the answer is no, your builder has had no disciplinary situations!
Step 6
If your builder has had disciplinary situations, it is time to learn more about them. Each disciplinary situation will have its own subheading in the PDF, where you can learn about them in more detail. Each situation will be detailed, along with when it happened and what was required of the builder to address their issue. We recommend taking your time to read these so you fully understand the actions of your builder.
Step 7
Before closing the PDF, check the record of residential construction work sub-heading. This will tell you how many houses your builder or building company built each year. You can find this listed in the table with the year and the number of jobs completed.
It’s worth considering these figures to see how buddy your builder is. If they are building more each year, they are likely to be busy, and your build could take longer than anticipated. You also might need to wait longer for them to be available. If they are building less every year, there could be a risk that they are struggling and heading for insolvency. Make some notes of your findings to help you decide if you want to proceed with your chosen builder.
Find your builder and check their history today
When it comes to finding a builder for your home, make sure that you check their history with the QBCC, looking for any infringements or bans that they have received. Unsure about the information you need to look out for when selecting your builder? Let us help match you to the right builder in Queensland. At Buildi, we only work with the best builders across Queensland, ensuring their license is up to date and that they have no infringements or bans that you would need to worry about. Let us help you find the perfect builder today.
