# How to choose the right builder in Sydney

URL: https://www.varloch.com.au/guides/how-to-choose-a-builder-in-sydney
By Jan Lochtenberg, published 2026-07-18
Last updated: November 2026

Choosing a builder mostly comes down to trust, but you don't have to trust blind. Here are the public records to check, the rules to know, and the questions to ask before you sign.

Choosing a builder mostly comes down to trust. You're handing over the biggest asset most people will ever own, so a handshake and a nice website isn't enough.

You don't have to trust blind, though. These are the checks we'd run before signing with anyone, including us.

## How do I check a builder's licence?

Search [Verify NSW](https://verify.licence.nsw.gov.au/home/Trades). It's free and takes two minutes.

Check the company **and** the person. The register shows the company, its directors and its nominated supervisor, whether each licence is current, suspended or cancelled, what class of work it covers, and any disciplinary action.

Why the person matters: someone with a bad record can close one company and start a clean one tomorrow. The company looks new. The person has the history.

A builder should give you their licence number before you ask. Ours is 373007C.

## Can I see a builder's past jobs and insurance claims?

Yes, and almost nobody knows it. Search the [Home Building Compensation register](https://verify.licence.nsw.gov.au/home/hbcf) by the builder's licence number.

It shows **their existing and past HBCF policies**, the addresses of the homes they insured, and any claims paid against them: what, when and how much. From there you might choose to reach out to one of those past clients and ask how their build went. That one conversation beats any review page.

## How long has the business been around?

Look it up on [ABN Lookup](https://abr.business.gov.au/). It shows when the business was registered. Decide for yourself if that's long enough for your liking.

For context: construction is the worst industry in Australia for collapses, around a quarter of all company insolvencies in a typical year, and most businesses that fail do it in their first few years. Time in business isn't everything, but it counts.

## Should I take the cheapest quote?

No. Two quotes for the "same" house can be hundreds of thousands apart, and the gap is rarely margin. It's what's been left out.

Cheap quotes win on paper with low provisional sums, PC items priced for fittings you'd never pick, and site costs marked "excluded." Then the variations start. Compare quotes **scope-to-scope**, not price-to-price. Where one is far lower, find out what's missing. It's always something.

## What should I look for in the contract?

In NSW a written contract is required for any work over $5,000. Over $20,000 it must be a full home building contract with a 5 business day cooling-off period.

Read it properly. The quickest way now is to run it through an AI tool and ask what a lawyer would: what am I locked into, what's excluded, who pays if the ground is different, who wears delays, and how do variations work? If the builder can't explain the answers in plain English, that's your answer. On a big job, use a construction lawyer too.

## How much deposit can a builder ask for?

- **10% of the contract price, maximum.** That's the law in NSW.
- Over $20,000, you get the **HBCF insurance certificate before you pay anything**, deposit included.
- A separate upfront fee for "plans" outside the contract generally isn't covered by HBCF. If the builder goes under, it may be gone.
- Every variation in writing, signed by both of you.

## What should I ask a builder before I sign?

The best one: **"Can I see some of your last project schedules, especially a Gantt chart?"**

Some builders run a straight line, critical path only. One trade waits for the last, with durations stretched to leave room: this week the waterproofer, next week the tilers. It drags the job out.

Others run trades in parallel, different crews in different rooms at once. Same quality, much shorter build. If you know what you're looking at, the Gantt chart shows how a builder spends your time and money.

Two more worth asking:

- **"Can I see a real progress claim from a current job?"** It shows exactly how they'll ask you for money. A single lump-sum invoice tells you nothing.
- **"Can I talk to a client whose job didn't go to plan?"** Anyone can find a happy reference. How they handled the bad one is the real test.

## What are the red flags?

- Pressure to sign fast, or money asked for before the HBCF certificate.
- A deposit over 10%.
- A cash price "to skip the GST." It removes every protection you have.
- A quote far below everyone else's.
- Anything they won't put in writing.

## The short version

- Licence: check the company **and** the person.
- HBCF history: see their past jobs, and call a past client.
- ABN: see how long they've traded.
- Quotes: compare scope, not price.
- Contract: read it, with AI as your first pass.
- Deposit: 10% max, nothing before the HBCF certificate.
- Ask for a recent Gantt chart.

Weighing up builders for a Sydney project? [Send us the quote or contract](https://www.varloch.com.au/contact) and we'll give you a straight read, even if you build with someone else.