VBA Plumbing Industry Commission Compliance Certificates Explained
Have you every wondered about when you can or can't ask for plumbing compliance certificates? Do you know who can and can't provide them? Read on...
Plumbing Compliance Certificates and Licensed Roof Plumbers
There are two levels of plumbers!
Yes, that's correct, there are two levels of plumbers. There are Registered Plumbers and then there are Licensed Plumbers. So what's the difference?
Registered Plumbers
A registered plumber has finished their four year apprenticeship. They have passed their Journeyman exam. They have qualified to work only under the supervision of a licensed plumber. Registered plumbers cannot work for themselves because they are unable to certify their work.
Licensed Plumbers
Licensed plumbers have a higher standard of knowledge and experience than a registered plumber. Licensed plumbers are able to issue a Compliance Certificate. This certifies that their work complies with the relevant plumbing standards, codes and regulations. A Compliance Certificate must be issued where the plumbing work has a value of $750 or more.
Licensed plumbers must also hold insurance cover to maintain their licence. The insurance held by licensed plumbers covers your project for:
- rectifying defective non-compliant workmanship.
- trade practices liability.
- consequential loss and non-completion. For example:
- if the licensed plumber dies,
- develops a legal incapacity, disappears,
- becomes bankrupt or insolvent,
- has their licence suspended or cancelled,
- or the consumer ends the contract due to the licensed plumbing practitioner wrongfully failing or refusing to complete the work (domestic only),
- failure to complete the work or where the plumbing practitioner is unable to carry out the plumbing work.
- public liability. Events covered include:
- where the work carried out results in personal injury to the consumer or another person,
- or damage occurs to the consumer’s property or another person’s property either during or for the specified period after the work finishes.
It doesn’t matter until it matters…
“It doesn’t matter until it matters,” was probably coined by someone who chose the cheapest roof plumber. Perhaps they didn’t ask if the plumber was licensed or had insurance. And then, something went wrong! Only at that point did the client realise that there was no insurance policy to fall back on. Any rectifications or resolution could only come about through recourse to costly legal channels.
Don’t let this be you!
