The statement follows public warnings by the Office of Fair Trading about unscrupulous operators ripping off home owners.
QBCC Commissioner Anissa Levy implores people to educate themselves and do their due diligence before engaging a builder or a tradesperson.
“It is so important that home owners who are looking to undertake building or renovation work use licensed contractors, ensure they have a contract in place, regardless of the size of the job and never pay excessive deposit amounts,” Commissioner Levy says.
“Asking friends and relatives for recommendations is a great place to start and a simple google search goes a long way.”
The QBCC website provides great advice and to help home and property owners make informed decisions when it comes to choosing a qualified, licensed local contractor, including their full licence history,” she says.
“Your home is one of the biggest investments you will ever make, so it’s vital that the contractor you choose is appropriately licensed for the work they have been engaged to do.
“Unlawful building work puts home owners at a higher risk of defects and could impact their eligibility under the Queensland Home Warranty Insurance Scheme.”
Commissioner Levy says the QBCC takes a proactive approach to safeguarding the building and construction industry and home owners from unscrupulous operators.
“We conduct ongoing audits of active building sites around the state to check that builders are appropriately licensed to perform their work,” Commissioner Levy says.
“We know from our ongoing audits of active building sites that most people do the right thing, but we also must hold to account those who are found to be operating unlawfully.
“Our regulatory actions range from issuing penalty infringement notices and warning notices to licence suspensions and cancellations and court prosecutions.”
To date this year, the QBCC has had outcomes in 22 prosecutions against individuals and companies who have engaged in illegal building related activities. This has resulted in more than $330,000 in fines, costs and compensation.
Commissioner Levy encourages anyone who has questions about a contractor they are intending to engage to contact the QBCC on 139 333.
Recent Warnings
On Monday 16 December 2024 the Office of Fair Trading issued a public warning for people not to do business with two tradies who have been ripping off home owners around south-east Queensland.
Public warnings were issued for James Bruce Michael Darren Brown and his stair supply and installation and renovation businesses, and Matthew Geoffrey Rixon AKA Joseph J Sara and his fencing and renovation businesses.
Meanwhile, a recent story in the Beaudesert Times warned about ‘fake tradies scamming locals’. The article stated, local police had received complaints about a ‘criminal gang rolling around town taking advantage of elderly people’.
Background - Maximum deposit amounts
Under the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 (the Act), the Act sets out maximum deposit amounts that can be requested.
The QBCC Act sets out maximum deposit amounts that can be requested by a contractor.
- For jobs priced at $3,300 or less, home owners should pay no more than a 20 per cent deposit.
- If the contract price is between $3,300 and $19,999, the maximum deposit is 10 per cent.
- For work of $20,000-plus, the maximum deposit allowed is 5 per cent of the contract price. (An exception applies where more than 50 per cent of the value of the work is performed offsite, in which case a deposit of up to 20 per cent is allowable.)
Background – unlawfully carrying out building work
Unlawfully carrying out building work is an offence under section 42 of the QBCC Act and attracts an escalating series of penalties for each offence.
For a third or later offence, an offender may be prosecuted upon indictment before the District Court, as they are alleged to have committed a crime.