Fair Trading Minister Virginia Judge is urging consumers to take advantage of a new and improved online service for checking home building licences.

Ms Judge said improvements to the existing public register on the Fair Trading website have made the search facility faster and easier to use.

“Every year more than 250,000 people visit the home builder’s licence check webpage,” she said.

“Improving online services for consumers is a priority for the NSW Government and I encourage consumers to use this new and improved service.

“The search field has been expanded and includes the ability to search by licence number, licence issue and expiry dates, as well as the name of licensee.

“The register enables consumers to quickly verify that a builder or tradesperson holds a valid and current licence suitable for the type of work intended to be carried out.”

Ms Judge said the improvements provided a range of checks to ensure consumers were dealing with a current and appropriately licensed tradesperson.

“Importantly, the register also shows the results of any disciplinary determinations and prosecutions against a person, partnership or company,” she said.

Ms Judge said any person who carried out residential building work worth more than $1,000 in labour and materials without an appropriate licence was breaking the law and could be prosecuted.

"For specialist work, such as plumbing, electrical, air conditioning and refrigeration, there is no threshold for labour and materials,” she said.

Ms Judge said consumers should always do a licence check before entering into a contract with a builder or tradesperson and should only deal with those who are licensed.

“Anyone caught operating without a licence or contracting with an unlicensed person can incur fines of up to $22,000 for an individual or up to $110,000 for a company,” she said.

Consumers can check the validity and currency of a builder’s licence online at this website or by calling 13 32 20.

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