Quick answer: Yes, in most cases. NSW Fair Trading says you must hold a contractor licence to do any residential building or trade work, including painting, valued at more than $5,000 in labour and materials including GST (NSW Government, Painting work). There is one exception worth knowing: since 2015, a stand-alone contract for internal paintwork no longer needs a licence unless the painting is part of other home building work. Exterior repaints, painting tied to a renovation, and most whole-house jobs still need a licensed painter. Doing licensable work unlicensed carries fines of up to $22,000 for an individual and $110,000 for a company. Before you hire, check the licence on the free Verify NSW home building licence check, ask for a certificate of currency for public liability insurance, and get a written quote. This guide walks through each check.
Do painters need a licence in NSW?
The rule comes from the Home Building Act and is administered by NSW Fair Trading. A contractor licence is required for residential building or trade work, and painting is named specifically, once the job is worth more than $5,000 in labour and materials including GST. Fair Trading’s definition of painting includes textured coatings and minor surface preparation, not just the top coats (NSW Government, Painting work).
The interior-only exception
The same page notes that since 2015, stand-alone contracts for internal paintwork no longer need a licence, unless the paintwork is part of other home building work. If all you want is the inside of your flat repainted, the painter is not legally required to hold a licence. If the interior painting is part of a renovation, or the job includes any exterior work, the $5,000 rule applies to the lot.
Our view: the exception tells you what is legal, not what is wise. A licence shows the painter has passed Fair Trading’s checks and puts their name on a public register with any disciplinary history attached. That is worth insisting on either way.
Which licence classes cover painting?
Fair Trading issues painting credentials as an individual contractor licence (or endorsed contractor licence), a company or partnership contractor licence, or a qualified supervisor certificate (NSW Government, Painting work). Only a contractor licence lets someone contract with you directly; a supervisor certificate lets a person supervise and do the work, not sign the contract. Ask which one you are looking at.
Want a written quote from a licensed Eastern Suburbs painter? Call Trent on 0425 116 817 or use the contact form and we will measure up and put it in writing.
How do I check a painter’s licence in NSW?
Use the free online tool Fair Trading calls Do a home building licence check, hosted on the Verify NSW website. You can search by licensee name, licence number, licence type, ABN, ACN or location (Service NSW, Check a builder or tradesperson licence). The result shows the holder’s name, licence numbers, categories, expiry dates and status, plus any cancellation or suspension, conditions, public warnings, cautions, penalty notices and prosecutions (NSW Government, Checking your contractor or tradesperson is qualified).
Three things to confirm when you run the search:
- The name matches. The licence should be in the name of the person or company on the quote, not a mate or a former employer.
- The class includes painting. A licence for tiling or carpentry does not cover painting.
- It has not expired. Licences run for 1, 3 or 5 years and the expiry date is on the record.
What insurance should a painter have?
Fair Trading’s guide to choosing a tradesperson lists three types of cover: Home Building Compensation Fund insurance, public liability and workers compensation (NSW Government, Step-by-step guide to choosing the right tradesperson or builder).
Public liability insurance
This is the one that matters most for painting. Fair Trading warns that if the tradesperson does not have it, you could be liable because you own the property (NSW Government, Insurance requirements for contractors). SafeWork NSW describes it as cover for your property and your neighbour’s if damage or injury happens during the work, and says you can check a policy is valid by asking for a certificate of currency or contacting the insurer (SafeWork NSW, Check the contractor’s insurances). A certificate of currency is a one-page insurer document showing the policy holder, cover limit and expiry. Any insured painter can email it in minutes.
Home Building Compensation (HBC) cover
HBC cover is required when the contract price or market cost of residential building work is over $20,000 including GST. The contractor must hold at least $340,000 of cover and give you the certificate before taking a deposit or starting work. It protects you if the contractor cannot finish or fix defects because of insolvency, suspension, death or disappearance (Service NSW, Apply for home building compensation cover). Most painting-only jobs on a single home come in under $20,000, so HBC cover usually does not apply to a repaint. It does apply if your painting contract is above that figure, such as a full exterior and interior of a large house. If your quote is over $20,000 and the painter has not mentioned HBC, ask.
What should a painting quote and contract include?
Fair Trading’s advice on quotes: write a job brief, give the same brief to at least three contractors, and get written quotes that include all the work and list all materials. Check the materials quoted are what you want, not substitutes, and remember that variations must be in writing and signed by both parties (NSW Government, Getting quotes). For painting, the quote should name the paint brand and product, the number of coats, the preparation and what is excluded.
Contract rules kick in at the same $5,000 threshold. Between $5,000 and $20,000 a small jobs contract must include the parties’ names and the contractor licence number, a description of the work, the price if known and a quality of construction clause, plus a copy of the Consumer Building Guide. Over $20,000 the contract also needs a progress payment schedule, a termination clause and a five business day cooling-off period (NSW Government, Guide to providing home building contracts). The maximum deposit is 10 percent of the contract price, and statutory warranties apply automatically for six years on major defects and two years on everything else from completion (NSW Government, Contracts).
Questions to ask a painter before hiring
| What to ask | Why it matters | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| What is your contractor licence number? | Required for exterior and renovation painting over $5,000. | A number you can find on Verify NSW, in the same name as the quote, with a painting class and a future expiry date. |
| Can you send a certificate of currency for public liability? | Without it, you could be liable for injury or damage on your own property. | A current insurer-issued certificate emailed the same day, in the business name on the quote. |
| Is the quote written, with products, coats and prep listed? | Fair Trading says written quotes should include all work and materials. | An itemised quote naming the paint system, coats, preparation and exclusions. |
| How much deposit do you want? | For work over $5,000, the legal maximum is 10 percent of the contract price. | 10 percent or less, balance on completion or against a written progress schedule. |
| Is the job over $20,000, and where is the HBC certificate? | HBC cover is mandatory above $20,000 and must be handed over before any deposit. | A certificate before you pay, or a clear explanation that the job is under the threshold. |
| How do you handle old paint on a pre-1970 home? | Most homes built before 1970 have lead paint somewhere. Dry sanding spreads lead dust. | Wet sanding or scraping, P2 respirators, containment and clean-up. |
| Can I see recent jobs and reviews? | Fair Trading recommends asking for references and examples of past work. | Named suburbs, photos of finished work and reviews you can read. |
What Rolling Strokes provides
We have been painting in the Eastern Suburbs since 2014. Our contractor licence number is 463404C, in the painter and decorator class, and you are welcome to look it up on the NSW Fair Trading register before you call. Ask for the public liability certificate of currency too and we will send it through with your quote. Every quote is free, written and itemised, with the paint system and preparation spelt out. Trent quotes the job, is on site while it is done and walks it through with you at the end, and we send completion photos so you have a record of the finish. Low-VOC products are available. Read more about how Trent runs Rolling Strokes, see what we do for homeowners on our residential painting service, and check what clients say on the reviews page.
What this means in the Eastern Suburbs
A lot of the housing stock from Maroubra through Randwick, Coogee and Bondi is Federation, interwar and Art Deco, first painted long before 1970. The NSW Government’s LeadSmart guidance is blunt: lead paint was used in most homes built in Australia before 1970, and the danger increases during renovations when old paint is removed. LeadSmart recommends hiring a professional trained in safe lead paint practices, says wet sanding and wet scraping are the safest preparation methods, calls for an AS 1716 approved respirator with P1 or P2 filters, and says pregnant women and young children should be kept away (NSW Government, LeadSmart: renovating and maintenance).
A painter who dry sands a 1930s Coogee semi with no containment is putting lead dust into your garden, your gutters and your neighbour’s windows. The other local factor is scope. Salt air eats exterior coatings faster, so full exterior repaints are common here and regularly push past the $5,000 licence threshold, and occasionally past the $20,000 HBC threshold on larger homes. On unit blocks in Kingsford, Kensington and Randwick, strata managers will generally not engage an unlicensed or uninsured painter at all. If you are budgeting, our guide to how much it costs to paint a house in Sydney explains what drives the price.
Frequently asked questions
Do painters need a licence for interior painting in NSW?
Not for a stand-alone interior job. NSW Fair Trading states that since 2015, stand-alone contracts for internal paintwork no longer need a licence unless the painting is part of other home building work. If the interior painting is part of a renovation, or the same contract includes exterior work over $5,000, a contractor licence is required.
How do I check a painter’s licence in NSW?
Search the free Do a home building licence check tool on the Verify NSW website by name, licence number, ABN or suburb. The record shows the licence class, expiry date, status, conditions and any public warnings, penalty notices or prosecutions. Make sure the name on the licence matches the name on your quote and that the class includes painting.
Does a painter need home building compensation insurance?
Only when the contract price or market cost of the residential building work is over $20,000 including GST. Most painting-only jobs on a single home sit under that, so HBC cover usually does not apply. If your painting quote is above $20,000, the painter must give you an HBC certificate before taking any deposit or starting work.
What insurance should a painter have in NSW?
At minimum, public liability insurance, because Fair Trading warns that if the tradesperson is uninsured you could be liable for injury or damage on your property. If they employ staff, workers compensation. Ask for a certificate of currency from the insurer showing the policy holder, cover limit and expiry, and check the name matches the business quoting.
How much deposit should I pay a painter?
For residential building work over $5,000, NSW Fair Trading caps the deposit at 10 percent of the contract price. Do not pay any deposit without a written quote or contract, and do not pay more than 10 percent up front on a licensable job. The balance should be due on completion or against a written progress schedule.
