Electrical work is one of the few trades where poor work can stay invisible for years and then cause a fire. It is also one of the easiest to check up front, because licensing in Queensland is public and verifiable.
1. Ask for the licence number, then check it
A licensed electrical contractor has a number and will give it to you without hesitation. Queensland licences can be verified with the Electrical Safety Office. If someone will not give you a number, that is your answer.
Ours is Electrical Licence 146529. We also hold ARC L145136 for refrigerant and air conditioning work and Solar accreditation A2573222, because those are separate licences and an electrical licence alone does not cover them.
2. Ask about insurance
Public liability insurance covers damage to your property. Ask whether they carry it. A contractor who does this professionally will not find the question unusual.
3. Get the quote in writing, itemised
A number scrawled on a business card is not a quote. A proper quote states what is included, what is excluded, and what happens if something unexpected is found. The exclusions are the part worth reading.
- Is making good included, or will you be patching the wall yourself?
- Are fittings supplied, and to what specification?
- Is the switchboard work included if the board turns out to be full?
- Is a certificate of testing and compliance provided?
- What is the price if additional circuits are needed?
4. Ask who is actually turning up
There is nothing wrong with apprentices, they are how the trade continues, but they must be supervised. Ask whether a licensed electrician will be on site, and whether the person quoting is the person doing the work.
The cheapest quote and the most expensive quote often describe completely different scopes of work. Compare what is included, not just the number at the bottom.
5. Ask about compliance paperwork
Certain work requires a certificate of testing, and some requires a certificate of compliance. These matter at sale time and for insurance. If an electrician cannot explain which applies to your job, they may not be issuing them.
6. Look at how they communicate before you book
The contractor who answers the phone, turns up when they said they would to quote, and sends the quote in writing the next day is generally the contractor who will do the same once the work starts. The one who is hard to reach before you have paid anything will not become easier afterwards.
Warning signs
- Cash only, no invoice
- No written quote
- Pressure to decide immediately, or a price only good today
- No licence number offered when asked
- Large deposits up front for small jobs
- No fixed address, business name or reviewable history
What we do
We quote in writing, give you a fixed price on residential work, tell you before we start if we think a different job is the better spend, and issue compliance documentation on completion. You can read about how we work, see our reviews, or look through recent projects.
Happy to be compared
Ask us all six questions. If someone else answers them better, use them. If you want a written quote from us, it takes one call.
Written by Scott Gross, licensed electrician and founder of PMU Electrical, servicing the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane. Licence 146529.