Tradie websites: finding a tradesman online

The main kinds of tradie website

Most sites for finding a tradesman work in one of a few ways, and many mix them. Knowing which one you're on tells you who will contact you, and how much of the checking is left to you.

• Job posts: you describe the job once, and tradies who see it respond. TradieToday works this way, for Melbourne.
• Quote requests: you fill in a form, and the site passes your details to a few businesses, who call or message you.
• Directories: a list of businesses with their contact details, where you do the contacting.
• Review sites and local groups: other people's experiences, which are a starting point rather than a check.

Who pays the site, and why it matters

Sites earn money in different ways: from tradies, from customers, from advertising, or a mix. That's normal, but it can decide who appears first. Look for listings marked as sponsored, featured or advertised, and for an explanation of how results are ordered.

The ACCC's guidance for comparison websites says sponsored results should be clearly set apart from the rest, and commercial relationships disclosed. It was written for comparison sites, but it's a fair standard for any site that ranks tradies for you.

Reading reviews

The ACCC is clear that it's against the law for a business to create fake or misleading reviews, or to arrange for others to. Its signs of fake reviews include a spike in very positive or very negative reviews over a short time, and generic reviews with no detail about the business or the work.

Read reviews on more than one site, not just the business's own website or social media. A business may also mislead people by removing genuine negative reviews, and reviews people were paid or rewarded for should say so. A good review site displays its policy for publishing, editing and removing reviews.

A recommendation from someone you trust is still one of the best starting points: ask what job they had done and how recently. Find a tradie has the questions to ask.

Check the business, not the website

A site listing a business doesn't mean the business holds the licence your job needs. Whichever site you used, make the same checks yourself before anyone starts.

• ABN Lookup: the ABN on the quote should be active, not cancelled, and in the same name. It also shows whether the business is registered for GST
• A licence or registration where the work needs one, on the regulator's own register: how to check a tradie's licence in Victoria, or in other states
• Membership of an industry association, if they claim one, with the association itself
• The business address, on an online map

What to share, and when

Give a site only what the job needs. The OAIC's advice is not to give out personal information unless you're comfortable with how it will be used, and to ask why it's needed if you're not sure. Most small businesses, those with an annual turnover of $3 million or less, aren't covered by the Privacy Act, so a small tradie business may not be bound by it.

For a first approach, your suburb, a description and a few photos are usually enough. Save your street address, access details and anything private for the tradie you choose. Writing a job post shows what to include.

Paying: the scam to watch

Scamwatch warns about payment redirection scams: an email or invoice that looks like it's from a real business, with bank details changed so the money goes to a scammer. They can copy logos and ABNs.

If the account details on an invoice are new or have changed, stop and check before paying. Call the business on a number you found yourself, not one from the email. Be wary of anyone asking to be paid in a way that's unusual for the trade. See paying a tradie for deposits and stages.

Your rights don't depend on the site

Under the consumer guarantees, a tradie must carry out services with an acceptable level of care and skill, the work must be fit for any stated purpose, and it must be done within a reasonable time if you didn't agree on one. These consumer guarantees are automatic and can't be taken away, and the ACCC says all the usual consumer rights apply when you shop online.

If the work isn't done with due care and skill and the problem is minor, Consumer Affairs Victoria says you can require the business to fix it within a reasonable time.

How TradieToday works

TradieToday covers metropolitan Melbourne. You describe the job and tradies working around Melbourne can respond. Tradie profiles are approved for listing, but approval doesn't prove credentials or workmanship, so the checks above still apply. TradieToday doesn't handle payments: you agree the price and pay the tradie directly.

Whichever site you use

• What kind of site it is, and who pays it
• Sponsored or featured listings clearly marked
• Reviews from more than one source
• An active ABN and the right licence
• Only the details the job needs
• Changed bank details checked by phone

Ready to try it? Describe your job so Melbourne tradies can respond, or read find a tradie first. Availability depends on real postings, and registration must be enabled to submit.