Box 6 of 6 Missing
Missing paperwork from a plumbing job in Victoria
If plumbing work that needed a compliance certificate came without one, the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) says you can lodge a complaint with it, and if the job stopped because the plumber’s contract was ended or they will not complete it, the BPC says to ask them for the certificate in writing. Suspected unregistered or unlicensed work can be reported with the BPC’s online tip-off tool, anonymously if you prefer.
General information about Victoria’s rules, not legal advice. The BPC is the place to take a complaint or a report, and to check how its rules apply to a particular job.
The empty boxes, at a glance
| What is missing | What the page says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| A certificate, for finished work that needed one | You can lodge a complaint with the BPC. | BPC |
| A certificate, for a job left unfinished | Ask the licensed plumber for it in writing; they must still issue one for unfinished work that needed it. | BPC |
| A certificate, left out of a gas job to make it cheaper | An offence under the Building Act 1993. | Energy Safe Victoria |
| A registration or licence | Report suspected unregistered or unlicensed work with the online tip-off tool. | BPC |
| A WaterMark, on a product that needs one (national scheme) | Report a product you suspect is not certified or is labelled wrongly; in Victoria, product reports go to the BPC. | ABCB |
No compliance certificate
A certificate matters beyond the paper. It confirms that the work complies with the plumbing regulations and the relevant Australian Standards, and that the work is insured for six years. It is due within five days of the job’s completion, and it goes to the person who engaged the plumber, whether that was you, your builder or someone else.
If it never comes for work that needed one, the BPC says you can lodge a complaint.
If the job stopped part way, the BPC says you must ask the licensed plumber for the certificate in writing. The plumber still has to issue one for unfinished work they took on that needed it, and the certificate itself must note that the work was not completed, why, and how far it got. The compliance certificate guide covers which jobs need one.
A price without the certificate
Energy Safe Victoria describes this one on its page for people engaging gasfitters: “You may be offered a ‘cheap’ job excluding the cost of the compliance certificate. This is an offence under the Building Act 1993 as it denies you a guarantee and prevents the work from being audited for compliance and quality.”
The certificate also has to be genuine. A licensed plumber who certifies work they did not complete or supervise commits an offence, and the BPC warns this could leave the plumber and the customer outside the mandatory plumbing insurance.
No card, or no entry on the register
Registered and licensed plumbers must carry their BPC practitioner ID card whenever they do plumbing work, and must show it on request. The BPC’s public search shows whether a plumber’s registration or licence is current and what work it covers; the guide to checking a plumber goes through it.
If you suspect work is being done without the right registration or licence, anyone can report it with the BPC’s online tip-off tool, and reports can be anonymous. When a report carries enough information, the BPC assesses it and may follow it up through its compliance and enforcement work. Where the evidence shows regulated work was done without the proper registration or licence, that can include criminal prosecution.
No WaterMark
Under the national scheme, a licensed plumber is not permitted to install a product of a type on the WaterMark Schedule of Products that is not certified, and if one is fitted where a certified product is required, the local plumbing authority may not accept the installation. If you suspect a product is not certified, or is labelled incorrectly, the ABCB asks you to report it, and its page names the BPC as the place to report a product in Victoria. The WaterMark guide has the checks to make before buying.
Keep your own copy
Energy Safe Victoria says your copy of a gas compliance certificate “protects you if any problems arise later due to faulty installation”.
The other boxes
For the work still to be done, the person to engage is a plumber whose registration or licence covers it.