Guide 6 of 6 · The eight ladders
The certificate later
What is the certificate worth later?
A certificate is not only the end of a job. In some places it is the paper a later claim stands on, with insurance behind it and a window of its own for complaints.
General information, published by Dotto, with every fact linked to its official source and all of them listed at the foot of this page.
What the certificate carries later
In Victoria the certificate and the insurance travel together. Licensed plumbers must hold insurance for the plumbing work that requires a compliance certificate, and the commission will not issue or renew a licence without it. Building and Plumbing Commission The cover runs from the moment the plumber agreed to do the work until 6 years after the certificate was issued, and it survives the plumber: the 6 years keep running even if the business stops, retires, or stops doing plumbing work. The same clock covers an unfinished job: where no certificate was issued, the insurance still runs for 6 years from the day the plumber stopped working.
Western Australia words the same six years as a guarantee that stands on the certificate: the work was completed to the plumbing standards, and the guarantee runs six years from it. Building and Energy South Australia points the certificate at the insurer's desk: without an eCoC for the work, an insurance company could refuse a claim if the related work causes a fire or damage. Office of the Technical Regulator And the Northern Territory gives the certificate a long, quiet job: keep the plumbing certificates and inspection reports, because they may be needed to support the property's value at sale. Northern Territory Government
Two places, side by side
Victoria and Western Australia run the same six-year term on differently worded promises, so they are set out against each other.
Victoria calls it insurance. It exists because the plumber must hold it; it covers defective or incomplete work and certain losses; and the certificate is the document that starts its clock. Building and Plumbing Commission
The window runs 6 years, and the complaint window runs longer: the commission can look at complaints about plumbing work done in the 10 years since the certificate, or since the work was completed, while the plumber is still licensed.
Western Australia calls it a guarantee, and puts the whole six years on the certificate: the work met the plumbing standards, and the guarantee stands behind it. Building and Energy
Its complaint window matches the guarantee: plumbing work completed within the last six years can be complained about to Building and Energy, on the plumbing complaint form.
The other places
Away from Victoria and Western Australia, the certificate stands on different things, and most places publish no single term. What follows is what each place says the document is for once the job is done.
| Place | What it stands on | The window for a complaint |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | a certificate of compliance confirms the work complies with the Act, Regulation, Plumbing Code of Australia and AS/NZS 3500, and names the plumber or drainer responsible | no complaint window in the sources read; the certificate itself is the record to keep |
| Victoria | mandatory plumbing insurance, held by the licensed plumber | 10 years, while the plumber is still licensed |
| Queensland | a defective work dispute can follow defective plumbing work | no complaint window in the sources read |
| Western Australia | the six-year guarantee that the work met the plumbing standards | 6 years from the work being completed |
| South Australia | an eCoC, without which an insurer could refuse a claim related to the work | no complaint window in the sources read; the eCoC is what the insurer asks for |
| Tasmania | household insurance may cover damage when a water or sewer pipe fails | no complaint window in the sources read |
| Australian Capital Territory | the completion notification and certified plans that close the job with Access Canberra; for minor works (replacement and repairs up to $1000), only a hydraulic certificate of compliance | no complaint window in the sources read; Access Canberra takes consumer complaints |
| Northern Territory | the certificate and notices that support the property's value if you sell | no complaint window in the sources read; the documents are worth keeping |
Sources: Plumbing insurance (Building and Plumbing Commission, Victoria); Plumbing work in your home (Building and Energy, Western Australia); Certificates of compliance (Office of the Technical Regulator, South Australia); Plumbing or drainage work on your property (Northern Territory Government); Using a gasfitter for repairs or building work (NSW Government); Complaint about plumbing and drainage work (Queensland Building and Construction Commission); Blockages, leaks and floods (TasWater); Inspections (ACT Government, City and Environment Directorate); Choosing a tradesperson (Access Canberra).
If something fails later
Everywhere, the same first step: go back to the plumber before going over their head. Victoria asks that the licensed plumber be given a reasonable opportunity to inspect and rectify the work before anything else, and Western Australia says the same: an open discussion with the contractor comes first. Building and Plumbing Commission Building and Energy If the plumber will not fix it, the complaint goes to the regulator: the commission in Victoria, Building and Energy in Western Australia, and in contractual matters, such as a dispute over money, Western Australia routes the complaint to Consumer Protection, which answers on 1300 304 054.
In Queensland the Queensland Building and Construction Commission takes complaints about defective or non-compliant plumbing work, about licence holders doing the wrong thing, and about work done without a licence; the contact centre number is 139 333. Queensland Building and Construction Commission Queensland Building and Construction Commission Queensland Building and Construction Commission In the ACT, Access Canberra is the first point of contact for consumer concerns about a business, product or service, though it cannot give legal advice or step into business-to-business disputes. Access Canberra In New South Wales, a serious gas accident should be reported to Building Commission NSW without delay, by phone or online. NSW Government
One document makes all of this possible: the certificate itself. Victoria's commission can hand over the plumber's insurance details when a matter cannot be settled, so the insurer can be approached directly, though the commission cannot settle a dispute between you and the insurer. Building and Plumbing Commission Wherever the job was done, the certificate is the proof of who did the work and when, and the official pages that set out the terms, linked at the foot of this page, are the ones to check before a dispute rather than after one.