Verifying every tradie before you sign — that's our craft.
Properly pulls licence status, tribunal orders, compliance notices and company history from every Australian state regulator into one plain-English report. Delivered in 2–3 business days. From $50.
Australian families left mid-build when Porter Davis Homes collapsed in 2023.
SOURCE: ABC NEWS · ASIC INSOLVENCY
$3.2bn
Construction industry debt written off in 2023–24 from builder insolvencies.
SOURCE: ASIC ANNUAL DATA
1 in 4
Domestic building disputes in VIC involve builders who held current licences when work began.
SOURCE: VBA · VCAT BUILDING LIST
How it works
Three steps. 2–3 business days.
No accounts, no subscriptions. Pay $50, send us their name and ABN, get the report.
1
Tell us who to check
Enter the tradie's name, business name and ABN. Add any state or licence number you have. Pay securely with Stripe.
Takes 2 minutes
2
We pull the records
Cross-checked against VBA, NSW Fair Trading, QBCC, Building & Energy WA, CBS, CBOS, Access Canberra and the NTBPB. Plus ABN and tribunal history.
2–3 business days
3
You get the report
A plain-English PDF emailed to you, with red flags called out clearly and a contract-review checklist for your specific trade type.
Use before you sign
What's in the report
Everything a court would want to see before you sign.
A licence number tells you they passed a test. It tells you nothing about complaint history, insolvency risk, or whether they're operating under three different ABNs to dodge tribunal orders. We check the lot.
✓
Licence status & class
Current, suspended, lapsed, or never held. Plus the work classes they're licensed for.
✓
Tribunal orders & disputes
VCAT, NCAT, QCAT and equivalent — current and historic. Most consumer-facing tools don't show these.
✓
Compliance notices
Show-cause notices, infringement records, regulator-issued directions and disciplinary actions.
✓
ABN, ACN & company status
Whether the entity is active, in administration, deregistered, or one of multiple linked companies.
✓
Insolvency history
ASIC-registered insolvency events for the entity and connected directors over the past 7 years.
✓
Domestic Building Insurance
For Victorian builders — DBI eligibility, legally required for work over $16,000.
✓
Connected entities
Other businesses the same director runs — catches the "phoenix" pattern where bad operators close and reopen.
✓
Contract checklist
A custom list of red-flag clauses to look for in their quote and contract, specific to their trade.
A licence number tells you they passed a test. It tells you nothing about who they really are.
— Why Properly exists
Coverage
Every Australian regulator, cross-checked.
Most tradies operate in one state. Bad operators move between them. We check all eight registers because that's where the trail is.
Around 1,700 customers were left with half-built homes when Porter Davis Homes Group went into liquidation in March 2023. Many had paid deposits but had no Domestic Building Insurance certificates issued, meaning they couldn't claim through the state DBI scheme.
Would have been flaggedMissing DBI certificates and ASIC director-history irregularities were public months before collapse.
Phoenix operators · ongoing
Same builder, new ABN, no liability
A common pattern: a contractor accumulates complaints and tribunal orders, deregisters their company, and reopens under a new ABN with the same director. Consumer-facing review sites don't connect the entities. Public regulator data does.
Would have been flaggedConnected-entity searches and ASIC director history reveal phoenix activity before you sign.
Suspended licence · 2024
A "current builder" with a quietly suspended licence
Suspended licence-holders can keep operating informally for months before consumers find out. Multiple recent VCAT cases involve homeowners discovering mid-project that their builder's registration was suspended weeks earlier.
Would have been flaggedLive VBA register check would have caught the suspension within hours.
Free tool
Need to budget the project first?
Our free renovation cost calculator covers 15 trade categories across every Australian state with current 2026 rates. Use it to set a realistic budget before you collect quotes.
Tell us about your project — we'll help you pick the right trades
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What kind of project is this?
Select the scale that best matches your project — this helps us recommend the right trades.
Describe your project
Tell us what you're planning — what rooms, what work, what materials. We'll highlight the trades you're likely to need. The more specific, the better the match.
Select all trades involved. A bathroom reno typically needs plumbing, tiling, electrical and carpentry — select them all for an accurate total.
2
Trade details
Enter quantities — costs update as you type
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3
Location & property
Affects travel, delivery and access costs
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Generate your recommendations.
Cost breakdown
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Government rebates
Tick any you're eligible for. The estimate updates automatically.
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Estimated cost after rebates$0
Before you hire
Make sure the tradie is who they say they are
A licence number tells you they passed a test. It tells you nothing about complaint history, insolvency risk or tribunal orders. $50 per tradie, delivered in 2–3 business days.
Recommendations
What to know before you commit
Top-rated nearby
Ranked by Google rating in your area
High-stakes decision ahead
These ratings don't tell you the whole story
Google reviews don't show licence status, tribunal orders, bankruptcy, or compliance history. Run a $50 background check before you sign anything.
Building conditions
How conditions look right now, by project size
A blended read of the cash rate, AUD strength, freight, timber and steel indices, and trade availability. Indicative only — not financial advice.
Your area
What's happening near you
Fetching local insights...0%
Material sourcing — cheapest options near you
Where to source materials for your trades to minimise cost
Analysing sourcing options...0%
4
Tradie background check
Comprehensive licence, criminal & complaint check before you hire
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Sample Background Check Report
This is an illustrative example only — not a real person or business
ABN 12 345 678 901 · Requested: 8 April 2026 · Reference: PC-2026-0841
Overall: 1 ITEM FLAGGED
Important — please read
This report is compiled entirely from publicly available government registers, official regulatory databases and publicly accessible online sources. Properly Collective is not a government agency, law firm or licensed investigator. Nothing in this report constitutes legal advice. This report is provided for consumer due diligence purposes only to assist you in making an informed decision about whether to engage the nominated tradesperson. You should form your own judgement about the information presented and seek independent legal or professional advice if required.
Source: Victorian Building Authority public register · vba.vic.gov.au
2. ABN & Business Registration — ABR / ASIC
PASS
ABN: 12 345 678 901 — Active
Registered: March 2014 (12 years)
Entity type: Australian Private Company
GST registered: Yes (since March 2014)
Business name: Matches ABN registration ✓
ABN cancellations: None
Source: Australian Business Register (abr.business.gov.au) · ASIC Connect (asic.gov.au)
3. ASIC Company & Director History
PASS
Director: James David Smith (appointed March 2014)
Other directorships: 1 additional active company (J Smith Holdings Pty Ltd — unrelated industry)
Deregistered companies: None associated with this director
Licence name match: James David Smith — confirmed match ✓
Source: ASIC Connect company search and director extract · asic.gov.au
4. Regulatory History, Complaints & Public Warnings ⚠
FLAG
VBA Compliance Notice — September 2022 (Resolved)
A compliance notice was issued by the VBA relating to incomplete waterproofing on a residential wet area. The matter was resolved and closed in November 2022 with rectification works completed. The licence was not suspended and no further action was taken by the VBA.
Public warnings checked: Consumer Affairs Victoria · NSW Fair Trading · QBCC · VBA — No active public warnings found.
Source: VBA public compliance notice register · Consumer Affairs Victoria public warnings · vba.vic.gov.au
Note: This item is included for your information only. It is a historical resolved matter. Properly Collective does not make a recommendation about whether to engage or not engage this tradesperson. You should consider this information alongside all other factors and form your own judgement.
5. ASIC Banned & Disqualified Register
PASS
No results found on the ASIC Banned & Disqualified register for the director or the business entity. This register covers disqualification from corporate management, banning from financial services or credit activities, and related enforcement actions.
6. Insolvency Notices & Personal Bankruptcy — ASIC / AFSA
PASS
No insolvency notices (liquidation, voluntary administration, receivership) found on the ASIC Published Notices register for this entity.
No personal bankruptcy or personal insolvency agreements found on the AFSA National Personal Insolvency Index for the registered director.
Source: ASIC Published Notices (insolvencynotices.asic.gov.au) · AFSA National Personal Insolvency Index (afsa.gov.au)
7. PPSR — Personal Property Securities Register
PASS
No security interests registered against this business entity on the PPSR. A security interest registration can indicate that lenders or creditors hold claims over business assets, which may be relevant if considering paying a significant deposit.
Source: Personal Property Securities Register (ppsr.gov.au) — organisation search
8. WorkSafe Victoria — Prosecution & Enforceable Undertakings
PASS
No prosecution outcomes or enforceable undertakings found on the WorkSafe Victoria public prosecutions register for this business or director. WorkSafe publishes outcomes of successful prosecutions related to workplace health and safety breaches.
Source: WorkSafe Victoria prosecution outcomes (worksafe.vic.gov.au)
9. Published Court Records — AustLII
PASS
No published court decisions found on AustLII referencing this business name or director. AustLII indexes published decisions from the Federal Court, Federal Circuit Court, Supreme Courts and VCAT. Note that not all court proceedings result in published decisions, and this search covers only publicly available indexed decisions.
Source: Australasian Legal Information Institute (austlii.edu.au) — free public legal database
Negative pattern check: No recurring complaint themes identified (e.g. incomplete work, deposit disputes, non-contact after payment)
Source: Google Maps · ProductReview.com.au · HiPages.com.au — all publicly accessible platforms
Summary of findings
9 of 10 checks returned no adverse findings. One historical VBA compliance notice was identified (September 2022) — it was resolved with rectification works completed and the licence was not suspended. No insolvency, bankruptcy, banning, court record, safety prosecution or reputation concerns were found. The business has been registered continuously for 12 years with no ABN cancellations.
Disclaimer: This report is compiled from publicly available information only. Properly Collective is not a licensed investigator, law firm or government body. The information in this report is not legal advice and should not be relied on as such. Properly Collective makes no representation about the completeness or accuracy of third-party public registers. This report does not cover private information, criminal history (which requires the individual's consent under Australian law), or information that is not publicly available. You should form your own independent judgement and seek professional advice if needed.
Do you want to background check a tradie before they start work?
Most Australians hand over their home — and often a significant deposit — to a tradesperson they know almost nothing about. A licence number tells you they passed a test. It tells you nothing about their complaint history, insolvency risk, court record or business stability.
ℹ
This is not legal advice. All information in Properly's reports is sourced exclusively from publicly available government registers, official regulatory databases and publicly accessible online platforms. These are public records that any member of the public is legally entitled to access. Properly Collective does not conduct private investigations, obtain information without lawful entitlement, or provide legal advice. You should form your own independent judgement about the findings in any report.
What our 10-point report covers
1 Licence
Current status, class, category, expiry, conditions and full suspension/cancellation history from the state licence register (VBA, QBCC, NSW Fair Trading, etc.).
2 ABN & Business
ABN status, registration date, entity type, GST registration, business name registration and any prior ABN cancellations. Confirms the entity is actively and correctly registered.
3 ASIC Director History
Full director and officeholder history from ASIC. Identifies deregistered companies associated with the director — a pattern of dissolved businesses is a significant risk indicator.
4 Complaints & Warnings
Public complaint and disciplinary history from state Fair Trading authorities, VCAT/NCAT tribunal orders on the public register, VBA compliance notices, and public warnings issued by regulatory bodies.
5 Banned & Disqualified
ASIC's Banned & Disqualified Register — six registers searched simultaneously covering disqualification from corporate management, financial services banning and credit industry banning.
6 Insolvency & Bankruptcy
ASIC Published Insolvency Notices for the company (liquidation, voluntary administration, receivership) plus AFSA National Personal Insolvency Index for the registered director. Catches phoenix operators.
7 PPSR
Personal Property Securities Register search — identifies whether creditors hold registered security interests over business assets. Relevant when considering paying a deposit to a business with creditor claims against it.
8 WorkSafe Prosecutions
WorkSafe Victoria public prosecution outcomes and enforceable undertakings. Identifies safety breaches — particularly relevant for trades involving asbestos, electrical work, heights, or confined spaces.
9 Court Records
Published court decisions on AustLII — Federal Court, Federal Circuit Court, Supreme Courts and VCAT. Covers publicly indexed decisions only; not all proceedings result in published judgements.
10 Online Reputation
Aggregated review summary from Google Maps, ProductReview.com.au, HiPages and Word of Mouth Online — star ratings, review volume and pattern analysis for recurring complaints such as deposit disputes or incomplete work.
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What you receive
A clear written report with a pass/flag/fail rating across all 10 categories, delivered to your email within 2–3 business days. Any issues found are explained in plain English with the source document referenced so you can verify the finding yourself. The report includes a plain-language summary of key concerns to help you make an informed decision.
Your details
Tradies to check
All checks are based on publicly available information only · Report delivered within 2–3 business days
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✓
Payment received — request confirmed
Your 10-point background check report will be delivered to your email within 2–3 business days. Any key findings will be clearly highlighted in plain language. Check your inbox for a payment receipt from Stripe.
Figures are estimates only. Actual costs vary — get a few formal quotes before committing. · Privacy