How to hire a tradie in Sydney — four steps, no guesswork
Hiring someone to work on your home should not take a week of phone calls. To hire a tradie in Sydney through BuilderApp you describe the job once, and the trades who work in your suburb and your category come to you. Posting is free, you do not need an account to start, and nothing is charged at any point.
Tell us what you need done
Describe the work in a few plain sentences: what needs doing, which part of the property, and the suburb. Photos do more than any description — two or three from your phone will change the quality of the responses you get more than anything else you write.
You do not need the technical terms and conditions . “The tiles in the bathroom are lifting near the shower” is a better brief than a guess at what the trade calls that job.
Set your budget and your timing
Give a rough budget range and a rough date to hire a tradie in sydney. A range is not a commitment — it tells trades whether the job is worth quoting, and it stops you fielding numbers that were never going to fit.
Say if it is urgent. A burst pipe and a kitchen you are planning for autumn attract completely different responses, and being clear about which one you have saves everybody a phone call.
Compare who responds
Trades working in that category and that part of Sydney can see your job and get in touch. You choose who to reply to — nobody gets your phone number until you decide to talk to them. You have our trust
Before you shortlist, open each profile and read three things: the licence number and the state that issued it, the ABN, and the suburbs they actually service. Then check those numbers yourself. The NSW registers are free and public, and these are the checks worth running before you hire a tradie in Sydney you have never met.
Agree it in writing, then deal directly
Before any work starts, get four things in writing: the scope, the price, what is excluded, and the payment schedule. In NSW a written contract is required for residential building work over $20,000, and it is worth having well below that. Whatever you agree, hire a tradie in Sydney on a written scope — not a verbal one.
From there you deal with the tradie directly. BuilderApp does not take a percentage of your job, does not hold your money, and is not a party to the agreement. If your plans change, see Changes and Cancellations
We love a to-do
From odd jobs to serious renovations, the help you’re looking for is on Builderapp
What it costs to hire a tradie in Sydney through BuilderApp
Nothing. Posting a job is free, browsing profiles is free, contacting a trade is free, and listing a business is free during our Sydney pilot. We do not take a cut of the work and we do not sell your job to the highest bidder.
That will not be true forever. At some point we will introduce paid options for trade businesses. When we do, we will publish the pricing before anyone is charged, and posting a job will stay free for homeowners.
What BuilderApp does — and what it does not
What we do
A person reviews every provider account before it goes live.
We require a business name, ABN, licence number and issuing state.
We show those details on the profile so you can check them yourself.
We remove listings that give us false details.
Guarantee the work, or handle your payment.
That second list is deliberate. A platform that implies it has checked things it has not is more dangerous to you than one that tells you plainly what to check yourself.
What we do not do
Run police checks.
Hold copies of insurance certificates.
Independently check every licence number against the register.
Guarantee the work, or handle your payment.
That second list is deliberate. A platform that implies it has checked things it has not is more dangerous to you than one that tells you plainly what to check yourself.
we have our privacy policy
If something goes wrong
Talk to the tradie first — most problems are a misunderstanding about scope, and a direct conversation fixes them faster than anything we can do. If that does not resolve it, report it to us and we will review the listing and tell you what we decided.
Your agreement is with the tradie, so your Australian Consumer Law rights apply to them. NSW Fair Trading runs a free complaint and mediation service for building disputes, and that path stays open regardless of anything we do.
FAQ
1. How much does it cost to hire a tradie in Sydney on BuilderApp?
Nothing. Posting a job, browsing profiles and contacting a trade are all free for homeowners, and listing a business is free during our Sydney pilot. We do not take a percentage of the work. If we introduce paid options for trade businesses later, we will publish the pricing before anyone is charged.
2. How long does it take to get responses?
We are a pilot, so we will not promise a number we cannot stand behind. Response time depends on the trade and the suburb — common trades in inner and middle-ring Sydney move faster than specialist work on the fringe. If nothing comes back within a couple of days, contact us and we will tell you honestly whether we have anyone suitable.
3. Do I need an account to post a job?
No. You can describe the job and post it without creating an account. You will need to give a contact method so trades can reach you, and you can create an account later if you want to keep track of responses in one place.
4. How many quotes will I get?
It varies by trade and suburb, and during the pilot it can be one or two rather than the five a national platform would show you. We would rather send you two trades who actually work in your area than pad the list. Compare on scope and inclusions, not just the number at the bottom.
5. Which areas does BuilderApp cover?
Greater Sydney — including Parramatta, Liverpool, Penrith, Castle Hill, Chatswood, Manly, Campbelltown and Hurstville. We are building depth in one city before expanding, so if you are outside Sydney you may not find a match yet.