Advertising
It is mandatory that both licensees and unlicensed persons comply with the advertising requirements set out in the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 (QBCC Act).
In the highly competitive building industry, advertising can be valuable for attracting new business.
Ensure that you include your name and your QBCC licence number, or if you have a company, the company's name and the company's QBCC licence number in advertisements to comply with the QBCC Act under which the licence is issued.
Displaying your licence details confirms to your customers that you have the right qualifications to do your work.
What is considered as advertising?
An advertisement includes, but is not limited to:
- websites
- social media pages (e.g. company Facebook pages)
- online service directories (e.g. Gumtree, Hipages, serviceseeking)
- newspaper ads
- posters, brochures, flyers and business cards
- vehicle signage
- radio and television commercials, including online
- on hold advertising (when waiting to speak to someone on the phone)
- Yellow Pages ads
- billboards
- signage at home shows.
Any advertising you, as a licensee, organise or publish for your business, must:
- contain the name under which the licensee is licensed. Trading names can be used but must be accompanied by your QBCC licence name. The QBCC does not licence trading names, and an advertisement with only the trading name will most likely be non-compliant
- state you are licensed under the QBCC Act, and your licensee number
- not include any false or misleading information or leave out any information, if the omission causes the advertisement to be misleading
- ensure your licence details are easily legible and reasonably prominent in written or visual material, or your licence details are no less audible and clear than other spoken material in an audio or video advertisement, including radio and television.
Examples of compliant advertising for contractors
Below are examples of compliant advertising. To avoid using the name or numbers of actual contractors, we've kept the details generic.
Individual | Company |
| Contractor name 24 hour emergency plumber 0000 000 000 QBCC Licence No: XXXXX | Construction Pty Ltd We service all Brisbane suburbs Call 0000 0000 QBCC Act Licence No: XXXXX |
Business name | Business name |
| Builders Pty Ltd Trading as: Business name Call 0000 0000 for a quote QBCC Licence No: XXXXX | My roofing business Licensee: Contractor name Call 0000 000 000 QBCC Licence No: XXXXX |
Unlicensed contractors must state in their advertisements for building work the value of work they can undertake without a licence. Some examples of value statements that comply with these requirements include:
- Cannot perform building work valued in excess of $3,300.
- Cannot perform building work valued at more than $3,300.
- Only work valued at $3,300 or less.
No value statement is required for advertisements expressly limited to pastoral and agricultural fencing as this is exempt building work.
If the advertisement also refers to fencing that is not limited to pastoral or agricultural fencing, it must contain the following value statement:
- Cannot perform building work valued at more than $3,300.
It is important to note that the following types of building work require a QBCC licence, regardless of the value of the work:
- building design
- plumbing and drainage
- gas fitting
- termite inspections
- reports and pre-purchase building inspections
- fire protection work
- mechanical services work.
Unlicensed contractors are not able to perform this work, and any advertisement by an unlicensed contractor for this type of work must state:
- Cannot perform building work valued in excess of $0.
For Hydraulic services design work, only work to a value of $1,100 can be performed without a licence, so an acceptable statement for this type of work would be:
- Only design work valued at $1,100 or less.
If an advertisement by an unlicensed person does not refer to any building work, no statement is required.
Examples of compliant advertising for non-licensees
Below are examples of compliant unlicensed building work advertising. To avoid using the name or numbers of actual contractors, we've kept the details generic.
Tiler Cannot perform building work valued in excess of $3,300 | Handyman Jobs under $3,300 only |
The QBCC logo cannot be used at all on any of your own promotional collateral. Any use of the QBCC logo is a breach of the Copyright Act 1968 and may be the subject of legal action.
If you were unaware of this and are currently using the QBCC logo, you must either:
- immediately cease using any documentation/display that contains the QBCC's logo and make corrections to avoid future use
- write to the QBCC providing suitable evidence that the publishers, web designers or other third party managing your marketing material, have been contacted and a request made to remove the logo as soon as practicable.
There are no restrictions on either:
- linking to the QBCC website from your own website
- adding a link to the QBCC website on a third party website.
Penalty for non-compliant advertising
Advertising that fails to comply with legislative requirements could result in the QBCC initiating prosecution or disciplinary action,
Under section 54 of the QBCC Act, licensees face a maximum penalty 35 penalty units, or $5,418 for individuals and $27,090 for companies.
Under S53C of the QBCC Act, the maximum penalty for an unlicensed contractor who fails to make a statement regarding the value of work allowed to be undertaken in an advertisement is $15,480 for individuals and $77,400 for companies. The requirement for unlicensed contractors to make this statement serves as an important warning to consumers and protects appropriately licensed contractors from unfair competition.
Complaints about advertising
We investigate complaints about advertisements that don't meet the QBCC Act requirements.
If you become aware of unlawful advertising by a contractor, you can report the offence to the QBCC.
We regularly check and proactively audit newspapers, brochures, flyers, and websites, including online service directories, to ensure advertisements comply with the guidelines.