How to hire a tradie: finding local tradies [2025]

When it comes to home improvements or repairs, sometimes we need to call in the experts. But — when you hire a tradie — you're trusting them with one of the most important things you own; your home.

So, how do you find the right person for the job? In this guide, we'll walk you through how to find a tradie and give you some top tips to help you avoid any hammering headaches along the way.

How does hipages help you hire a tradie?

When you find a tradie through hipages, we do a lot of the legwork for you:

• ABN and licences are checked, so you can rest easy that you're dealing with legitimate and qualified professionals
• You'll receive multiple quotes from businesses, allowing you to easily compare prices and find the best fit for your budget
• Thanks to our verified ratings and recommendations from local homeowners, you can get insights from people who have actually hired the tradie you're considering
• We provide a secure online platform, making sure your transactions are handled safely and conveniently

From local plumbers to your new favourite handyman, hipages can connect you with trusted tradies.

Choosing the right tradie for the job

Finding a good tradie makes all the difference in the quality of the work and your overall experience. But, as most of us aren't experts in home improvement, relying on intuition alone isn't enough — follow these tips instead.

1. Check your tradie is licensed

Did you know that 68%* of Aussie homeowners make it a point to check if their tradie is licensed before hiring them? And you should too. This is important because you need to be 100% sure that every tradie you hire is licensed for the specific work they'll be doing.

Safety is number one when it comes to your home, and licensed tradies are equipped to handle jobs with potential risks and make sure everything is completed to legal standards and requirements. The truth is, if they're not licensed you'll get low-quality, illegal, and even dangerous work.

While it varies from state to state, plumbers, gas fitters, air conditioning specialists, electricians, and any sort of construction all need licences. By taking a few minutes to verify licences and credentials, you'll have peace of mind knowing that you've hired a qualified and capable tradie for your project.

We speak with all our tradies before they join, and our Trust and Quality team has systems to monitor ABNs, licences and solvency information.

2. Check a tradie's recommendations

The best person to give you advice about if you're hiring the right tradie is someone who has hired them before. In fact, a huge 77%** of homeowners love checking out reviews from other people when choosing a tradie. Luckily, the internet has made it easier than ever before to quality check a tradie's reputation before you sign on the dotted line.

But, a word of caution: not all reviews are created equal. Here are a few questions to keep in mind while reading online reviews:

• Is the review detailed? A simple "great job" or "good service" doesn't really give much information. Look for reviews that provide specific details about past projects. Those are the ones that will be truly useful
• Has the reviewer left other reviews, or is this their only one? It's often a good sign when you see regular reviewers. They tend to be more trustworthy and reliable
• Is the reviewer a verified customer? If the review isn't from a verified customer, there's a chance they may not have actually hired the tradie. It's always better to rely on feedback from those who have firsthand experience

We believe in helping both local tradies and homeowners have a great experience. That's why we invite every customer to leave feedback on a tradie and let others know if they do quality work or not. It not only helps a trades business improve its service but also assists others in choosing the best tradie for their job.

And we don't stop there. We have a dedicated team to review and verify recommendations, and published recommendations that have been verified display the Verified icon.

Also; if you need to find a tradie fast and want a quick snapshot of their reputation, check out the hipages star rating. It gives you a quick and easy way to gauge how trusted and reliable a trades business is.

3. Make sure your tradie has insurance

Accidents can happen, and in the event of property damage or injuries, insurance provides a safety net, not only for the tradie themselves but also for you as the homeowner. When you find a tradie, always check that they have the relevant insurance for the work they're carrying out.

How to make sure you get the right price

Finding a trusted local tradesman is important, but so is getting a good price. Remember though, if you want quality service, this means you'll need to pay fairly. The lowest quote is not usually the best approach and you should always weigh up the price, alongside reviews, past work, and other factors like making sure they're licensed and insured.

1. Always get three quotes or more

Getting multiple quotes allows you to compare prices, services, and overall value. It also helps you gauge what the fair market rate is for the job you need to be done. Additionally, by reaching out to local tradesman, you can get a sense of their professionalism, responsiveness, and expertise, all of which should be looked at alongside the price before you make a final decision.

At hipages, each job receives up to three quotes, so customers have as much information as possible to make a decision.

2. Get quotes (in writing!)

A quote is more than an indication of how much a project will cost. It’s about accountability. If a local tradesman isn’t prepared to give you a written, itemised quote, you might want to reconsider if they’re the right fit for your home.

Here’s what to look for in a quote:

• An estimated cost for the project
• A breakdown of what’s included in the price
• A list of what’s excluded in the quote (such as materials)

Getting multiple quotes gives you a sense of the proper market price, reducing the risk of being overcharged or underquoted (a sign of a potentially dodgy tradie).  

3. Pay a reasonable deposit (and get a receipt)

Deposits and progress payments are a natural part of hiring a tradie. They help balance tradies’ business needs, while giving homeowners protection.

However, good tradies don’t ask for unreasonable deposits. Tradies who ask for big deposits might have cash flow issues that could lead to problems later, and paying too much upfront could risk a tradie running off early. Requests for deposits of 40% or more should start to raise eyebrows.

For contracts over $4,000, a 10% deposit is typical. For smaller jobs, 10-20% is okay. You might agree to pay 25% upfront, 50% at the halfway point, and the final 25% when the job is done. It’s not set in stone, but be confident negotiating something that suits you both.

With hipages, customers can set up deposits and progress payments through the app, with secure credit card payment. Each payment gets a receipt, which is recorded against the job in the hipages app. This helps keep tradies accountable, and in return for which they get paid on time.

How to hire a tradie? Don’t hire alone

When it comes to hiring a tradie, remember this important lesson: don't go at it alone! From checking licences and recommendations to ensuring fair pricing and considering others' experiences, getting help greatly increases your chances of hiring someone trustworthy.

That's precisely what hipages is designed for. At hipages, we go the extra mile to ensure the quality of tradies. We screen them, conduct ongoing licence checks, perform daily ABN checks, and even run weekly insolvency checks.

We also collect recommendations from satisfied customers and provide convenient payment and mediation services. Our goal is to empower homeowners to make informed decisions about their home improvement projects.

Whether you choose to hire a tradie with hipages or opt for the old-fashioned route, these tips will guide you in selecting the right person for the job.

If you have a specific tradie in mind and want to find more information on how you can pick the right one for you, you might want to check out these articles: How to find a reliable handyman, How to hire a rental bond cleaner, How to hire a removalist.