How-To Guides

How to Find the Dodgy Builder List in Sydney (NSW Fair Trading)

NSW Fair Trading is the closest thing to an official dodgy builder list. Here's a step-by-step walkthrough of the exact tools and registers to use.

TL;DR There's no page literally titled "Dodgy Builder List" — but NSW Fair Trading hosts the official tools that do the job: a licence check, public enforcement and disciplinary records, and prohibition records. This guide walks you through each one, in order, so you can vet any Sydney builder yourself. Add an ASIC insolvency search and you've covered the records that matter most. Step 1: The licence check Start with NSW Fair Trading's online licence check. Enter the builder's exact legal name or licence number and confirm three things: the licence is current, the name matches, and it covers the correct class of work. This single tool catches unlicensed and lapsed operators immediately. Step 2: Enforcement and disciplinary records NSW Fair Trading publishes outcomes of enforcement and disc…