Know Your Builder
Check a builder’s public record in one free search.
Know Your Builder searches 16 official registers, courts and tribunals for builders in NSW and the ACT, then puts the results in one report you can check yourself.
At a glance
- Cost
- Free
- Covers
- NSW and ACT builders, plus national registers
- Searches
- 16 official registers, courts and tribunals
- You enter
- Business name, ABN or ACN. A director’s name is optional
- Takes
- Most reports finish within a few minutes
- You get
- One report, with every finding linked to its source
What it checks
Six kinds of record, from official sources
Builder licences and discipline
Whether the builder holds a current licence, its class and expiry, and any disciplinary action or compliance history recorded against it.
- NSW contractor licence register (Verify licence)
- Access Canberra builder licence register
- Access Canberra register of disciplinary actions
Good to know: Licence checks cover NSW and the ACT only in this release.
Business identity
That the ABN is active and matches the business you are dealing with, the company’s registration status, and other companies its directors are linked to.
- Australian Business Register (ABR)
- ASIC company register
- ASIC director company history
Good to know: Director history needs a director’s name, which you can add on the full search form.
Financial warning signs
Liquidation, administration and other insolvency notices, published tax-debt notices, and how long the business takes to pay its own suppliers.
- ASIC published notices: insolvency
- ASIC published notices: ATO tax debt
- Payment Times Reporting Register
Good to know: Payment times are only reported by large businesses, so most small builders won’t appear.
Regulator enforcement
Directors banned from managing companies, undertakings given to ASIC, and Fair Work Ombudsman enforcement outcomes.
- ASIC disqualified persons register
- ASIC court enforceable undertakings register
- Fair Work Ombudsman enforcement outcomes
Good to know: Records appear once the regulator publishes them, which can lag behind the event.
Courts and tribunals
Published judgments and tribunal decisions naming the business, including building disputes heard in NCAT and ACAT.
- Federal courts
- NSW courts and tribunals
- ACT courts and ACAT
Good to know: Only published decisions are searchable. Cases that settle or are still running may not appear.
Supply-chain statements
Whether the business has lodged a modern slavery statement.
- Modern Slavery Statements Register
Good to know: Only businesses with A$100 million or more in revenue must report.
Who it’s for
What the report shows, and what it doesn’t
Findings are grouped by risk, and each one links to the record it came from. See a real report with the details removed, or read how a report is put together.
- Licences and courts cover NSW and the ACT only. For other states, use our licence check guides.
- It isn’t a credit check or a quality rating. A clean report means nothing was found in these sources on the day you searched.
- Registers can lag. A liquidation or court decision can take days or weeks to be published, and cases that settle often never appear.
Need to add a director’s name? Use the full search form.
Common questions
What is Know Your Builder?
Know Your Builder is a free online check from Trustworthy Payments. It searches 16 official registers, courts and tribunals for a builder in NSW or the ACT and puts the results in one report, with a link to each source record.
How do I check a builder in NSW?
Enter the builder’s business name, ABN or ACN into Know Your Builder. It checks the NSW licence register, NSW courts and tribunals, ASIC insolvency notices and other official sources in one search. To check the licence alone, use the NSW Government’s Verify licence service.
What does Know Your Builder check?
Licences and disciplinary records, business and company registration, insolvency and published tax-debt notices, payment times, disqualified directors, ASIC and Fair Work enforcement, published court and tribunal decisions, and modern slavery statements.
Do I need an account?
No. You only need an email address, so we can send you a link to the report.
How do I check a builder’s licence in NSW?
Building Commission NSW publishes contractor licences on the NSW Government’s Verify licence service, where you can search by name or licence number. Know Your Builder checks that register for you, includes any compliance history recorded against the licence, and adds ASIC, insolvency and court checks in the same report.
How do I check a builder’s licence in the ACT?
Access Canberra publishes the ACT’s builder licence register and a separate register of disciplinary actions. Know Your Builder searches both, so a suspension or condition shows up alongside the licence status.
Is the report really free?
Yes. Enter the builder’s name or ABN and the check runs at no cost. We ask for your email address so we can send you a link to the report.
My builder works outside NSW and the ACT. Can I still use it?
Not yet. This release covers NSW and the ACT. Until other states are added, check the builder’s licence on your state regulator’s register and confirm their insurance before you pay a deposit.
Does a clean report mean the builder is safe to use?
No. A clean report means nothing was found in the sources we checked on the day you searched. Registers can lag behind events, so also check references, home building insurance and your contract before you sign.
Where does the information come from?
From 16 official public registers, courts and tribunals. Every finding in the report links back to the record it came from, so you can check it yourself.
Give your builder a once-over.
Free report. NSW and ACT builders.