Nothing is for sale here and no installer is recommended. Licensing rules, contract thresholds and consumer protections differ in every state and territory and they change, so confirm every figure with the regulator for your own jurisdiction before you rely on it.
How a kitchen job normally runs
Eight stages, in the order most jobs follow. The detail varies by job and by state. Where the law differs between jurisdictions this page says so rather than guessing.
Measure, design and site check
A designer or installer measures the room and produces a layout and a cabinetry list. A check measure after demolition is normal, because walls are rarely square and old kitchens often hide problems. Ask who is responsible if the final measurements do not match the design. Ask also whether any wall you want removed is load-bearing, because that changes the job from a kitchen replacement into building work that may need council or certifier approval.
The quote, and what it should contain
A quote should be itemised, not a single figure. It should name the cabinetry carcass and door materials, the benchtop material and thickness, the edge profile, the hardware brand, and the splashback. It should state what is included and what is excluded, and exclusions matter more than inclusions. Watch for plumbing, electrical, tiling, rubbish removal, painting, floor repair and appliance supply being left out, then added later as variations.
The written contract
Above a certain value, residential building work must be under a written contract in every Australian jurisdiction, and the contract has to contain prescribed terms. The threshold, the required terms and the penalties for not having one differ by state and territory and change over time, so check with the regulator listed below before you rely on a figure. Thresholds differ by state and change; check with the regulator listed below. Read the variations clause and the completion-date clause before signing, and keep every variation in writing even when the change seems minor.
Deposits and progress payments
Most jurisdictions cap the deposit a builder or trade can take on a residential job, and most require payments to be tied to stages of work actually completed rather than to dates. The cap is usually expressed as a percentage and it is not the same in every state. Thresholds differ by state and change; check with the regulator listed below. Do not pay a large sum up front for materials that have not been ordered, and do not pay the final instalment until handover is done and the defects list is closed out.
Trade sequencing
A typical order is demolition and disposal, then rough-in plumbing and electrical, then any plastering and wall repair, then flooring, then cabinetry installation, then benchtop template and installation, then splashback, then plumbing and electrical fit-off. The benchtop is usually templated only after the cabinets are physically in place, which commonly adds one to two weeks in the middle of the job. Expect the kitchen to be unusable for that gap and plan for it.
Work your installer cannot legally do themselves
Plumbing and electrical work are licensed separately from general building and cabinetry work in every Australian jurisdiction, and a cabinetmaker or kitchen installer is not licensed for them by default. That covers connecting and disconnecting the sink and dishwasher, moving taps or waste, altering gas, and any fixed wiring for ovens, cooktops, rangehoods and new power points. In some jurisdictions electrical licensing sits with a separate energy safety regulator rather than the building regulator, so ask the body listed below which one holds it. Ask for the licence number of the individual doing each piece of licensed work and check it yourself, and ask for the compliance certificate afterwards.
Benchtops, and the engineered stone rules
Australia has prohibited working with engineered stone as a work health and safety offence, and importation of engineered stone benchtops is also prohibited. This is a ban on fabricating, cutting and installing the material, not a ban on having an existing engineered stone benchtop in your home. Removing, repairing or modifying engineered stone already installed remains lawful, but it is treated as higher-risk work subject to additional WHS controls and notification duties on the business doing it. If you are replacing an older stone benchtop, ask your installer to confirm in writing how the removal will be controlled and notified, and confirm the current dates, scope and duties with Safe Work Australia and your state or territory WHS regulator, because this area has changed recently.
Handover, defects and disputes
At handover, walk the kitchen with the installer and write a defects list on the spot: door and drawer alignment, benchtop joins and overhangs, silicone lines, chipped edges, sealing at the splashback, and the operation of every tap, appliance and power point. Get the list acknowledged in writing with dates for rectification. Statutory warranties apply to residential building work in every jurisdiction, and separate consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law apply to the goods. If rectification stalls, the path is normally a written complaint to the trade, then a complaint to the state or territory regulator or fair trading body, then the relevant civil or administrative tribunal. The regulator listed below will tell you which tribunal applies and what the time limits are.
Where to check a licence
The official register for each state and territory. Check the name, the licence number, and that the licence covers the class of work.
| Name | Location | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Building Commission NSW | New South Wales | www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/building-commission |
| Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) | Victoria - formerly the Victorian Building Authority | www.bpc.vic.gov.au |
| Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) | Queensland | www.qbcc.qld.gov.au |
| Consumer and Business Services (CBS) | South Australia | www.cbs.sa.gov.au |
| Building and Energy | Western Australia - Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety | www.wa.gov.au/organisation/building-and-energy |
| Consumer Affairs Tasmania | Tasmania - licensing and licence checks | consumeraffairs.tas.gov.au |
| Building Standards Tasmania | Tasmania - building standards and technical regulation | buildingstandards.tas.gov.au |
| Access Canberra | Australian Capital Territory | www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au |
This page tells you where to check. It does not vouch for anyone. No installer, cabinetmaker or trade is listed here, because the currency of an individual licence cannot be verified from outside the official register and can lapse at any time. The only reliable check is the register itself.
Two gaps to note. The Northern Territory regulator could not be confirmed at the time of writing and is not listed — if your job is in the NT, start at the Northern Territory Government and confirm the current body. Tasmania appears twice because the former Consumer, Building and Occupational Services was split into two bodies on 1 October 2026; licence checks sit with Consumer Affairs Tasmania.
Questions worth asking before you sign
Ask these in writing and keep the answers. If a question is deflected rather than answered, that is itself information.
- What is your licence number, and what class of work does it cover? A licence is specific to a class of work and it can be suspended, conditioned or expired. Some states licence kitchen and bathroom work as a specific category rather than as general building work, so a licence that exists is not automatically a licence for your job. Check the number and the class on the regulator's register yourself rather than accepting a certificate or a screenshot.
- Who is doing the plumbing and the electrical work, and are they separately licensed? Plumbing and electrical work is licensed separately from cabinetry and general building work in every jurisdiction. Unlicensed plumbing or electrical work can void your insurance, fail at sale or inspection, and is a safety risk. You want the name and licence number of the individual trade, not just an assurance that it is subcontracted.
- Is there a written contract, and does it contain the terms my state requires? Written contracts are mandatory above a value threshold in every jurisdiction, and the required terms are prescribed, not optional. Thresholds differ by state and change; check with the regulator listed above. A job run on a quote and a handshake leaves you with far weaker remedies if it goes wrong.
- What deposit are you asking for, and what triggers each later payment? Deposit caps and progress-payment rules exist in most jurisdictions and are there to stop you funding the job in advance. Thresholds differ by state and change; check with the regulator listed above. Payments tied to completed stages rather than to calendar dates give you leverage if work stops.
- Is warranty or home building insurance required for this job, and has it been taken out? Residential building work above a value threshold usually requires statutory home warranty or domestic building insurance, taken out by the builder in your name before work starts or before the deposit is taken. It is what you fall back on if the trade dies, disappears or becomes insolvent. Thresholds differ by state and change; check with the regulator listed above, and ask for the certificate rather than a promise.
- If there is an engineered stone benchtop coming out, how will the removal be controlled? Working with engineered stone is prohibited as a WHS offence, and removing or repairing stone already installed remains lawful but is higher-risk work with additional control and notification duties on the business. A trade that cannot explain how it handles this, or who treats it as nothing, is a signal. Confirm the current requirements with Safe Work Australia and your state or territory WHS regulator.
- What is the defects process after handover, and who do I complain to if it stalls? You want a named process and a timeframe in writing before you pay the final instalment. Statutory warranties and Australian Consumer Law guarantees both apply, but using them means knowing which regulator and which tribunal covers your jurisdiction, and the time limits are not the same everywhere. The regulator listed above will tell you the path.