How to check a roof plumber licence in Australian Capital Territory

Who issues it, and where to search

Because the ACT scheme covers both plumbing and building occupations, one set of registers answers both halves of a roofing job, which is the same convenience the Territory offers on almost every trade in this set.

How to check it, in order

1. 1Ask for the licence number and the exact name it is held under. It is often a company rather than the person standing in front of you, and the register searches on the name it was issued to.
2. 2Search the Access Canberra public registers yourself. A photograph of a card proves that a licence once existed, not that it is current.
3. 3Check the class or category covers this work. A licence that is valid for one kind of work is not a licence for another, and that is the gap that most often matters.
4. 4Check the expiry date and any conditions or disciplinary history recorded against it.
5. 5Confirm the ABN on the quote matches the entity named on the licence, using ABN Lookup. A mismatch between who is licensed and who you are contracting with is worth asking about before you pay a deposit.

What the licence covers

Gutters, downpipes, flashings, rainwater tanks and metal roof coverings, which are the water-shedding parts of a roof. In most jurisdictions this is a class of plumbing licence rather than a building one, which is the part that surprises people.

What you can legally do yourself

Cleaning gutters from a safely placed ladder. Not replacing them, and not walking a roof: falls from height in domestic settings are a well-documented cause of serious injury, and tiled and old fibre cement roofs will not reliably hold a person.