The role of the QBCC

At the QBCC, we are responsible for regulating Queensland’s building and construction industry.

What this means for home owners like you:  

• We uphold standards: All contractors who do work valued at more than $3,300 need to have a QBCC licence, providing reassurance that the person working on your home is suitably experienced and qualified.
• We offer free dispute resolution services, including mediation: Home owners have access to services that help resolve disputes when issues arise during a building or renovation project.
• We offer a safety net: Our Queensland Home Warranty Scheme ensures home owners are financially protected if construction work on their home is defective or incomplete.
• We work hard behind the scenes: Monitoring of building products and supply chains means that the materials used in your home are safe to use and up to standard. Learn more about how to spot non-conforming building products.
• We offer protection from harm: Regular education and enforcement around compliance with building standards protects home owners, the industry and the community.  

Visit our YouTube channel to view some of our educational videos on topics such as managing disputes, pool safety and building and renovating.  

You can also take a look at our Facebook page, which is a source of relatable (and searchable 🔍) tips.  

What we can’t help with  

There are some things that are out of our scope or remit. These include:  

• recommending tradespeople – but you can access our free online search tools to find licensed contractors in your area and check their history
• complaints:
  • lodged outside the statutory timeframes  
  • that are solely about electrical work (contact the Electrical Safety Office)  
  • about dividing/neighbour fences, as this is a local council matter (except if the work is defective)  
  • about contract or payment disputes, which are handled by QCAT
  • about our legislation as this is made by the Queensland Parliament
  • about defective or incomplete work where you can’t identify the contractor responsible for the work (we require a business or individual name in order to assist with your complaint)
• local planning schemes, zoning information, development approvals, building work certificates, relaxations or property boundaries – local council is a good starting points for these matters
• if issues arise with building work that is valued less than $3,300, including labour, materials and GST. This excludes plumbing, drainage, gas fitting, chemical termite management system installation, building design, site classification, fire protection and completed building inspections, which can be investigated by the QBCC regardless of the value; and hydraulic design work valued over $1,100.

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit About us on our website. 

Next: Where to begin