Electrician Did a Bad Job? How to Get Your Money Back (Australia 2026)

Last updated 27 October 2026 · Reviewed by the Claim Done team · Not legal advice

Can you get your money back from an electrician?

Yes, when the work fails a consumer guarantee. Electrical work in your home is a service “of a kind ordinarily acquired for personal, domestic or household use”, so you are protected as a consumer under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) whatever the job cost (s 3(3)). The electrician guarantees:

• Due care and skill (s 60): wiring, terminations, earthing and testing done the way a competent licensed electrician would.
• Fitness for your purpose or result (s 61): if you said the new circuit had to run an induction cooktop, or the outdoor lights had to suit a wet area, the work must be fit for that.
• A reasonable time (s 62) where no date was agreed.

Electrical work is different from most trades in one important way: safety. Under s 268(1)(e), a failure is a major failure if “the supply of the services creates an unsafe situation”. Exposed live conductors, missing earths, a circuit with no RCD protection where one is required, or a switchboard that overheats can all put you in major-failure territory. With a major failure you don’t have to keep letting the same electrician try again. You can:

• cancel the contract and recover what you paid for the work, to the extent you haven’t received the service (ss 267(3)(a), 269(3)); or
• keep the work and claim compensation for the drop in its value below the price (s 267(3)(b)).

For a minor, fixable failure, such as a light switch wired the wrong way round or a power point mounted crooked, you first require the electrician to fix it within a reasonable time. If they refuse or don’t, you can have another licensed electrician fix it and recover “all reasonable costs”, or cancel (s 267(2)). On top of either remedy you can claim reasonably foreseeable loss, such as spoiled food after a circuit failed, a damaged appliance, or the cost of a second electrician’s inspection (s 267(4)).

If the electrician supplied the equipment, such as a ceiling fan, downlights, an oven or a switchboard component, the goods guarantees apply too: it must be of acceptable quality (s 54), and you can claim against the electrician as supplier (s 259). Any “no warranty” or “no refunds” term is void (s 64).

The most common problems with electricians

1. Unsafe work. Tingles from taps or appliances, scorch marks, hot switches or power points, exposed wiring. Turn the power off at the switchboard if you think it’s dangerous, then get a licensed electrician to make it safe. This is likely to be a major failure (s 268(1)(e)).
2. No safety certificate. The electrician didn’t give you, or didn’t lodge, the certificate the law requires (see the state rules below). That’s an offence on their part and a sign the work may not have been tested.
3. Breakers or RCDs keep tripping. After a new circuit, appliance or switchboard, the power keeps cutting out. Ask for a fix; if they can’t find the fault, get a second electrician’s report.
4. The job doesn’t do what you asked. A new circuit that can’t carry the oven you told them about, or outdoor lights not rated for the location. That’s a fitness-for-purpose failure (s 61).
5. Charged more than the quote. A quote you accepted is the agreed price. Ask for an itemised bill with hours, rates and materials, free within 7 days (s 101).
6. Damage to your home. Holes cut in the wrong place, ceilings damaged in the roof space, paint ruined. That’s a failure of due care and skill.
7. Job left unfinished. Cables hanging, no cover plates, circuits not connected. Claim the cost of another electrician finishing what you paid for, or cancel and recover what you paid for work not done.
8. Unlicensed work. Electrical wiring work must be done by a licensed electrician; NSW, WA and the ACT say so expressly. Report anyone who wasn’t licensed.

Electrical licences and safety certificates by state

Electrical work is regulated for safety across Australia. The certificate is your proof that the work was tested. If you didn’t get one, that is a strong point in your letter and a reason for the regulator to act.

New South Wales

Electrical wiring work is “specialist work”: a licence is needed at any value (Home Building Act 1989 s 4 and Sch 1). The NSW Government says you must have an electrical licence “regardless of the cost or type of work”. From 1 July 2026, the person who tested the work must lodge a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW) on the NSW eCert portal “no later than seven days after the electrical test has been completed”; copies can go to the customer by email where your email is provided, so give your email to the electrician. The regulator says spot fines of up to $1,000 apply for each CCEW not supplied. Because electrical work on a home is residential building work at any value in NSW, the Home Building Act warranties also apply (2 years for most defects, 6 years for major defects, s 18E). Report unsafe work to Building Commission NSW on 13 27 00, and check licences at verify.licence.nsw.gov.au.

Victoria

The person responsible for electrical installation work must complete a certificate of electrical safety and give it to you, with a copy to Energy Safe Victoria (Electricity Safety Act 1998 s 45A). For most work the deadline is one month after the certificate of compliance is completed; for prescribed work, 4 business days after the inspection certificate (s 45A(6)). Energy Safe Victoria says an electrician “cannot refuse to issue a COES for any reason including payment issues or contract disputes”, and you can lodge a complaint if no certificate was issued for work completed in the last three years. Contact Energy Safe Victoria on 1800 800 158 or 03 9203 9700 (option 3), or by its online report form. A contract for electrical work only is outside the Domestic Building Contracts Act (Domestic Building Contracts Regulations 2017 reg 7), so a dispute about it goes to VCAT’s goods and services list directly.

Queensland

Electricians are licensed under Queensland’s electrical safety laws, not by the QBCC. WorkSafe Queensland says the electrical contractor “MUST provide the person for whom the work was done” with a certificate of testing and compliance each time an electrical installation they worked on is connected to electricity (or a certificate of testing and safety for work on electrical equipment), and “must give a certificate to your customer as soon as possible after you complete the work”, under the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026. The certificate can be part of the invoice. Contact the Office of Industrial Relations on 1300 362 128.

Western Australia

“All electrical work” must be done by a licensed electrical worker, and contractor licence numbers start with “EC”. When you have electrical work done (other than maintenance or like-for-like replacement), “your electrical contractor must give you an electrical safety certificate within 28 days”. If you don’t get it, contact the contractor, then the network operator, usually Western Power or Horizon Power, which will investigate. Check licences on the WA licence search.

ACT, South Australia and Northern Territory

In the ACT, electricians must be licensed for any electrical wiring work, and within 14 days after testing the work they must give a test report to both the Construction Occupations Registrar and you as the owner (Electricity Safety Act 1971 s 6(1)). Access Canberra’s electrical inspectors are on 02 6207 7775. In South Australia, CBS’s building guide says registered workers who do electrical work on a new home must provide a Certificate of Compliance. In the Northern Territory, the Electrical Safety Act 2022 requires the electrical contractor or worker to complete a Certificate of Compliance certifying the work was tested and is safe (maintenance work excepted).

What you can claim from an electrician

• The cost of another licensed electrician making the work safe and compliant, after the first refused or failed to fix it, or straight away for a major failure (s 267).
• A refund for work you cancel, to the extent you didn’t receive the service (s 269(3)).
• Compensation for the drop in value of the work, if you keep it (s 267(3)(b)).
• Foreseeable losses: spoiled food, appliances damaged by a wiring fault, a second electrician’s inspection report, repairs to ceilings and walls (s 267(4)).
• Any overcharge above the agreed quote.
• For faulty equipment the electrician supplied: a repair, replacement or refund under the goods guarantees (s 259).

Example (round numbers, for illustration only): an electrician charges $2,500 to upgrade a switchboard and add two circuits. The RCD trips daily, a fridge full of food spoils, and no safety certificate arrives. The electrician says it’s “your appliances”. A second electrician finds two circuits wired incorrectly and no earth on one, fixes them for $900 and issues a certificate. Your claim: $900 + $250 of spoiled food + $150 for the second electrician’s inspection report = $1,300. Because the first work created an unsafe situation, you could instead cancel and claim back the $2,500, less the value of anything you keep.

Evidence to gather

1. The quote, invoice and messages showing what the electrician agreed to do, including any purpose you told them about (for example, the appliance the circuit had to run).
2. Proof of payment.
3. The safety or compliance certificate, or your written requests for it and their replies.
4. The electrician’s licence number and a dated screenshot of the licence register.
5. A written report from a second licensed electrician describing what was wrong, what was unsafe and what they did. Ask for photos of the faulty work before they fix it.
6. Photos and video of the problem: scorch marks, exposed wiring, the RCD tripping.
7. Receipts for losses: spoiled food, damaged appliances, the inspection fee.
8. Any regulator or network operator reference number.
9. The business’s legal name and ABN from ABN Lookup.

How to get your money back: 5 steps

Step 1: Tell the electrician in writing what went wrong and what you want

If anything is unsafe, make it safe first: turn off the circuit and call a licensed electrician. Then write to the original electrician: what they did and when, what’s wrong, whether it’s unsafe, and what you want: the certificate, a free fix by a date, a refund of $X, or payment of the second electrician’s invoice. Give a short deadline and keep a copy. The get your money back hub covers other kinds of business, including plumbers.

Step 2: No answer, a refusal or a runaround? Send a formal demand

Our Consumer Guarantee Letter sets out the services guarantees, why unsafe work is a major failure (s 268(1)(e)), the amount and a 14-day deadline, and asks for any missing safety certificate. It is the letter a tribunal expects to see before you file. If the only dispute is the bill, use the Overcharge and Invoice Dispute letter ($49). The general Letter of Demand ($49) covers anything else.

Send a Consumer Guarantee Letter – $49

Step 3: Report to the electrical regulator and complain to the consumer regulator

Two different bodies can help. The electrical safety regulator deals with unsafe work, missing certificates and unlicensed electricians; the consumer regulator helps with the money. Neither usually orders a refund, but a safety inspection report is powerful evidence.

• NSW: Building Commission NSW, 13 27 00 (electrical safety and certificates); NSW Fair Trading, 13 32 20.
• VIC: Energy Safe Victoria, 1800 800 158, certificates of electrical safety; Consumer Affairs Victoria, 1300 55 81 81.
• QLD: Office of Industrial Relations (electrical safety), 1300 362 128; Office of Fair Trading, 13 QGOV (13 74 68).
• ACT: Access Canberra electrical inspectors, 02 6207 7775; Access Canberra consumer complaints, 13 22 81.
• NT: NT Consumer Affairs, 1800 019 319 or 08 8999 1999, conciliation request.
• WA: for a missing certificate, your network operator (usually Western Power or Horizon Power); Consumer Protection, 1300 30 40 54, for the money dispute.
• SA: Consumer and Business Services, 131 882, disputes with a tradesperson.
• TAS: Consumer Affairs Tasmania, 1300 654 499.

Step 4: Still unpaid? Send the final demand

The final demand quotes your first letter, the electrician’s response or silence, and any regulator or inspection reference. It sets a last date before you file. In South Australia the courts expect a final notice and a 21-day wait before filing.

Send the final demand – $49

Step 5: Take it to the tribunal or court in the electrician’s state

File in the state where the business is (see the table below). In NSW, electrical work on a home is a home building claim at NCAT, which generally needs Building Commission NSW to have investigated first (Home Building Act s 48J). In Victoria, an electrical-only dispute goes to VCAT’s goods and services list. In Queensland, a consumer claim of up to $25,000 is brought as a QCAT minor civil dispute; if QCAT treats the work as part of a building dispute, it will require the QBCC process first. In WA, SA and Tasmania you file a court claim at the Magistrates Court. The second electrician’s written report is usually your key document; our Hearing Bundle ($97) puts it and your other evidence in order.

Prepare your tribunal application – $97

In WA, SA and Tasmania the same product prepares your court claim.

Where your claim goes in each state

The claim goes to the forum in the state where the electrician’s business is.

If the electrician is a sole trader living in another state. NCAT (NSW) and VCAT (VIC) cannot decide a dispute between residents of different states where the other side is an individual (Burns v Corbett [2018] HCA 15), so in those states the claim goes to a court. QCAT in Queensland is a court of a State (Owen v Menzies [2012] QCA 170) and is not affected. Claims against a company aren’t affected. Check the ABN record.

After you win: getting paid

If the electrician doesn’t pay after the order, it can be enforced: in most states it is registered or filed with the court and enforced as a judgment. The options include a garnishee order on their bank account or on money their customers owe them, seizure and sale of property, and an examination of their finances under oath. In NSW a contractor’s licence is automatically suspended if they don’t pay a tribunal or court order on a building claim (Home Building Act s 42A).

Tribunals do not collect the money for you. In NSW, Victoria, Queensland, the ACT and the NT, an unpaid tribunal money order is first registered, recorded or filed with a court. In WA, SA and Tasmania the Magistrates Court decides the claim, so you already have a court judgment. Then you apply for the court’s enforcement tools.

Enforce your order – $97

Enforce your order – $97

Questions people ask

Can I get a refund if an electrician’s work is unsafe?

Often, yes. Work that “creates an unsafe situation” is a major failure under the Australian Consumer Law (s 268(1)(e)), so you can cancel and recover what you paid for work you didn’t properly receive, or keep it and claim the drop in value. Our Consumer Guarantee Letter makes that demand with a 14-day deadline.

The electrician won’t give me a certificate of compliance. What can I do?

Ask in writing, then report it. In Victoria, Energy Safe Victoria says an electrician cannot refuse a certificate because of a payment or contract dispute. In WA, contact your network operator. In NSW, report to Building Commission NSW. The regulator can follow up, and the missing certificate strengthens your claim.

How long does an electrician have to give me the certificate?

It depends on the state. NSW: lodged on the eCert portal within 7 days of testing. Victoria: within one month for most work (Energy Safe Victoria says 30 days). WA: 28 days. ACT: 14 days after testing. Queensland: as soon as possible after the work is finished. Keep the certificate with your home records.

Do I have to let the same electrician come back to fix it?

For a minor fault, the law lets the electrician fix it first if you ask (s 267(2)). If they refuse or take too long, you can use someone else and claim the cost. If the work is unsafe, that is likely a major failure, and you can get a different licensed electrician to make it safe and claim the cost.

Can an electrician charge more than the quote?

Not without your agreement. A quote you accepted is the agreed price, and extra work needs your approval first. Ask for an itemised bill, which must be free and provided within 7 days (ACL s 101). Our Overcharge and Invoice Dispute letter disputes the extra charge in writing.

My RCD keeps tripping since the electrician’s job. Is that their fault?

Not always. A tripping RCD can be a faulty appliance, but if it started straight after the work, ask the electrician to investigate free. If they blame your appliances without testing, get a second licensed electrician’s written report. If the fault is in their work, that report supports a claim for the fix and any losses.

Is it illegal to use an unlicensed electrician?

Yes, for the person doing the work. WA says it is “illegal for an unlicensed person to carry out electrical work”, NSW requires a licence at any value, and the ACT requires one for any wiring work. Report unlicensed work to the regulator, and have a licensed electrician inspect and certify it. You can still claim back what you paid under the consumer guarantees if the work was faulty.

The electrician damaged my ceiling. Can I claim it?

Yes. Damage caused while working is a failure of due care and skill (s 60), and the cost of repair is a foreseeable loss you can claim (s 267(4)). Photograph the damage, get a repair quote, and include it in your letter of demand with the cost of any electrical rectification.

Does an electrician’s work come with a warranty?

Yes. The consumer guarantees apply automatically for a reasonable time and can’t be excluded (s 64). In NSW, electrical work on a home also carries the Home Building Act warranties: 2 years for most defects and 6 years for major defects. Any extra warranty the electrician offers is on top of these rights.

Can I take an electrician to NCAT or VCAT?

Yes. In NSW, a claim about electrical work on a home goes to NCAT as a home building claim, usually after Building Commission NSW has looked at it. In Victoria, an electrical-only dispute goes to VCAT’s goods and services list with no money cap. Our tribunal application ($97) prepares the claim.

Sources

All sources checked 19 October 2026.

• Competition and Consumer Act 2010, Schedule 2 (Australian Consumer Law): ss 3, 54, 60-64, 101, 259, 267-269
• Home Building Act 1989 (NSW); NSW Government: Electrical compliance requirements
• Electricity Safety Act 1998 (Vic); Energy Safe Victoria: Certificates of Electrical Safety for the community; Domestic Building Contracts Regulations 2017 (Vic)
• WorkSafe Queensland: Issuing certificates of compliance
• WA Government: Having electrical work done
• Electricity Safety Act 1971 (ACT); ACT: Electricians
• NT WorkSafe: Certificate of compliance
• CBS: Building, extending and renovating a home; SA Government: Disputes with a builder or tradesperson
• NCAT fees, VCAT fees, QCAT fees, ACAT fees, NTCAT fees, WA Magistrates Court fees, SA Magistrates Court fees, Tasmanian Magistrates Court fees

Claim Done is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. This page is general information. For a complex or high-value matter, speak to a lawyer or a free community legal centre.