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found out my tradie wasnt licensed what now

The question, put plainly: What happens if I use an unlicensed tradesperson?

The short answer

You keep your consumer guarantees, but you may lose insurance cover, warranty scheme protection and the compliance certificates the work needed, and the problems usually surface when you sell or claim.

TradieAnswers editorial · written in-house and sourced to the authorities listed below

Checked against 7 published sources, listed in full at the end of this page. How we source this

The penalties for unlicensed work fall on the person who did it, not on you. But the practical consequences land on the property, and they outlast the job.

What you lose

  • Compliance certificates. Electrical and plumbing work generates paperwork only a licensed person can issue, and without it the work is undocumented.
  • Warranty scheme cover. Home warranty and domestic building insurance generally does not respond to work by an unlicensed builder.
  • Insurance certainty. An insurer investigating a fire or a flood will ask who did the work, and unlicensed work is where claims become difficult.
  • Value at sale. A purchaser's inspector who finds undocumented work has found a negotiating point, and in some states you must disclose it.

What you keep

Consumer guarantees still apply. An unlicensed trader is still a supplier of services and still owes due care and skill, and you can still pursue them through a tribunal. The difficulty is practical rather than legal: an unlicensed operator is more likely to be uninsured, harder to locate, and less likely to have assets worth pursuing.

What to do now

  1. Have the work inspected by a licensed person in the same trade and get their assessment in writing.
  2. Report it to the state licensing regulator, which is what stops it happening to the next person.
  3. Deal with any safety issue immediately, regardless of the dispute.
  4. Keep everything, because the file is what a tribunal, an insurer or a future purchaser will want.

Who does this work

You can probably handle this yourself

Because this is a regulatory complaint and an insurance question, not work that needs a trade.

This work is licensed, though the threshold and the licence class differ between states. Check a licence in your state

Where are you?

Who regulates consumer disputes in your state

Trade regulation in Australia is state law, so the body that answers this depends on where the work is. Pick yours.

New South Wales — NSW Fair Trading, then NCAT
Free conciliation first. The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal hears building and consumer disputes without requiring lawyers. How to check a licence in NSW
Victoria — Consumer Affairs Victoria, then VCAT
Domestic building dispute resolution now sits inside the Building and Plumbing Commission. VCAT hears matters that do not resolve. How to check a licence in VIC
Queensland — QBCC, then QCAT
The QBCC runs an early dispute resolution process for defective building work. QCAT hears matters that do not resolve. How to check a licence in QLD
Western Australia — Building and Energy, then the State Administrative Tribunal
Complaints about regulated building service work go to Building and Energy first. How to check a licence in WA
South Australia — Consumer and Business Services
CBS handles complaints about licensed trades and consumer matters in South Australia. How to check a licence in SA
Tasmania — Consumer, Building and Occupational Services
CBOS handles consumer and building complaints in Tasmania. How to check a licence in TAS
Australian Capital Territory — Access Canberra, then ACAT
Access Canberra publishes guidance on choosing a tradesperson and handles complaints. How to check a licence in ACT
Northern Territory — Consumer Affairs NT
Building contractor and consumer complaints are handled by Consumer Affairs NT. How to check a licence in NT

Sources

Every source below was fetched and its response recorded on the date shown. Where a government site blocks automated clients, that is noted rather than reported as a successful check.

  1. Consumer rights and guarantees · Australian Competition and Consumer CommissionChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  2. Verify.Licence · NSW GovernmentChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  3. NSW Fair Trading · NSW Fair TradingChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  4. Search a public register · Energy Safe VictoriaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  5. QBCC · Queensland Building and Construction CommissionChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  6. Find a licence holder · Consumer and Business Services (SA)Checked 2026-08-10 · live, but blocks automated clients so the specific page could not be confirmed
  7. Consumer, Building and Occupational Services · Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (Tas)Checked 2026-08-10 · live, but blocks automated clients so the specific page could not be confirmed

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