Door-to-door repairs in natural disasters
Some people take advantage of others during natural disaster.
Watch out for itinerant traders
Look out for itinerant traders who turn up at your door unexpectedly. They can pretend to be genuine tradespeople.
Be suspicious of people who arrive at your door and:
- offer special one-off or today only deals
- ask for cash up front
- offer to drive you to the bank to get money for payment
- pressure you into accepting their offer.
If you take up these offers you run the risk of:
- getting sub-standard work
- them disappearing before finishing the job (and leaving you out of pocket)
- not being able to contact them once they’ve been paid
- paying more to hire a genuine tradesperson to repair their shoddy work.
If you believe you’ve been approached by itinerant traders contact us.
Know the door-to-door trading rules
During a state of emergency, some door-to-door trading rules are relaxed. Only the Queensland or Australian governments can declare a state of emergency in a natural disaster.
Usually, door-to-door tradespeople must allow a cooling-off period of 10 business days for work over $100. However, this doesn’t apply for emergency repairs.
Emergency repairs means fixing:
- a hazard or potential hazard
- a health or safety risk
- a risk of serious damage to your property.
For example, a builder may offer to fix your roof after a cyclone as emergency repairs. They will still need a current Queensland or Australian Government licence (e.g. a builder’s or contractor’s licence).
Check the trader
A door-to-door trader must:
- hold the relevant government licence to do the work
- only carry out repairs that relate to the disaster
- only contact you in the permitted hours.
Do your research on any trader who offers you emergency repairs. You can:
- ask for their identification
- check their company or business name with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission
- check their Australian Business Number (ABN) online.
If they claim to be a builder or plumber:
- ask to see their Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) licence
- cross-check their licence details (and history) on the QBCC website.
If they claim to be an electrician or electrical contractor:
- ask to see their Queensland Government issued licence
- check if their licence details match what they told you on the Worksafe Queensland website.
Get quotes
Always ask for quotes and give yourself time to think it through. Make sure you:
- don’t feel pressured to take up an offer on the spot
- get everything in writing
- check all quotes, invoices and receipts include the trader’s name, ABN and address
- check with your insurance company first.
Avoid being overcharged by checking quotes carefully. Some dodgy traders:
- add extra square metres to the quote
- make deliberate mistakes in adding up the cost.
Don’t get stung when paying the bill
Don’t pay cash or pay for anything up front, even materials.
If you pay by credit card and something goes wrong, you might be able to apply to your bank for a chargeback or credit.