Electrician Did Dodgy Work? How to Report Them and Get Your Money Back

You paid an electrician to do a job properly. Instead you’ve got flickering lights, a switchboard that trips constantly, exposed cables in the roof, or another tradie telling you “who did this? It’s not to code.” The original sparky won’t answer, or says it was fine when they left, or wants more money to “look at it”.

Dodgy electrical work isn’t just a rip-off. It’s a fire and electrocution risk, and that’s why electricians are licensed and regulated harder than almost any other trade. You have a regulator with real teeth on your side.

Your rights

• Consumer guarantees (ss 60–62 ACL). The work must be done with due care and skill, be fit for purpose, and be completed in a reasonable time. Unsafe or non-compliant work is a major failure, entitling you to a refund and the cost of rectification by someone else (ss 267–268).
• Licensing is mandatory. Electrical work must be done by a licensed electrician in every state. Unlicensed work is illegal, and you’re entitled to a full refund plus rectification.
• Compliance certificates are mandatory. In New South Wales a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW), in Victoria a Certificate of Electrical Safety (COES), in Queensland a Certificate of Testing and Safety, in Western Australia a Notice of Completion and Electrical Safety Certificate. If you didn’t get one, the work is non-compliant on its face, and the electrician has breached the law regardless of the quality.
• Statutory home building warranties. In New South Wales, the Home Building Act 1989 implies warranties of due care, compliance with law, and fitness for purpose into residential work, enforceable for 2 years (minor defects) or 6 years (major). Other states have equivalent domestic building legislation (e.g. Victoria’s Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995).
• Australian Standard AS/NZS 3000. All electrical work must comply with the Wiring Rules. A licensed inspector’s report against AS/NZS 3000 is decisive evidence.

What to do right now

1. Make it safe. If anything is sparking, smoking, or exposed, turn off the circuit at the switchboard and get a licensed electrician in urgently. Keep the invoice; you’ll be claiming it.
2. Get an independent inspection report. Ask a licensed electrician (or your state’s electrical safety regulator, which will inspect unsafe work for free in most states) to document the defects against AS/NZS 3000 with photos.
3. Check the licence. Every state has a public licence register. If they weren’t licensed, or the licence had lapsed, that changes everything.
4. Demand the compliance certificate. In writing. If they can’t or won’t produce one, that alone is a reportable breach.
5. Write to the electrician. Set out the defects, cite ss 60–62 ACL and the state licensing law, and demand either rectification by a date or a refund plus the cost of the independent fix.
6. Send a Letter of Demand. Include the inspection report and quotes. State that if they don’t respond within 14 days you’ll report them to the electrical safety regulator (which can suspend their licence) and file at the tribunal. Licensed electricians take licence threats seriously.
7. Report and file. Report to the regulator regardless of whether they pay: the next customer might not be so lucky. Then file your money claim at NCAT, VCAT, QCAT, the SA Magistrates Court, etc.

Red flags that the work is non-compliant

You don’t need to be an electrician to spot the common signs. If you see any of these, get an inspection:

• No compliance certificate provided, or one that lists less work than was done.
• New circuits without RCD (safety switch) protection. RCDs on all final sub-circuits have been required for new work for years.
• Cables run without protection through roof spaces, under floors, or through walls, or cables sitting on insulation without clearance.
• Junctions made outside boxes, taped joins, or wiring hanging loose.
• Switchboard with no labelling, mixed old and new fuses, or a main switch that doesn’t isolate everything.
• Outdoor fittings or power points without weatherproof rating.
• Lights that flicker, breakers that trip on normal load, or a tingling sensation from taps or appliances (the last one is an emergency: turn off the mains and call an electrician).

Regulator inspections. Most state electrical safety regulators will inspect suspected unsafe work at no cost, because they want to catch dangerous electricians. Their report carries more weight than a competing tradie’s opinion, and they can issue rectification orders directly to the electrician. Use this.

Insurance angle. Non-compliant electrical work can void your home insurance in the event of a fire. Getting it documented and rectified isn’t just about the refund; it’s about protecting the house. Include the inspection and rectification cost in your demand.

Who to complain to

NSW Fair Trading (electrical licensing and home building), Energy Safe Victoria, Electrical Safety Office (Queensland), Building and Energy / EnergySafety (Western Australia), Office of the Technical Regulator (South Australia), Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (Tasmania), Access Canberra, NT WorkSafe. In New South Wales, disputes over $500 can go to Fair Trading’s home building dispute service before NCAT. For substantial jobs, check whether home warranty insurance applies.

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