No, painters don’t need a licence in Victoria when painting is the only work on the job. Consumer Affairs Victoria says a job that involves only painting doesn’t require registration with the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC). The rules change when a painter combines trades, such as plastering and painting, on a job worth more than $10,000. Whatever the size of the job, you should still get a written quote and contract, keep the deposit small, and see proof of public liability insurance before work starts.
This guide covers who needs to be registered, when a contract is required by law, how much deposit is reasonable, which insurance matters on a painting job, your rights if the work goes wrong, and the law changes on the way.
This is general information, not legal advice. The rules can change, so check the linked Consumer Affairs Victoria pages for your situation, or get legal advice on a large or unusual job.
Do painters need a licence in Victoria?
Not for painting on its own. Victoria regulates domestic building work through registration with the Building and Plumbing Commission, the regulator that replaced the Victorian Building Authority. Registration is generally needed for domestic building work under a contract worth more than $10,000, but Consumer Affairs Victoria lists painting among the trades that don’t need registration when the job involves only that trade. Plastering, tiling, glazing and installing floor coverings are on the same list.
So a painter who repaints your interior or exterior, even on a large house, doesn’t need a building registration to do it. That doesn’t mean anyone with a brush is the right choice. It means the checks that protect you are the ones in the rest of this guide: a written quote and contract, a sensible deposit, insurance and an active ABN.
Here is how the rules apply to common painting jobs.
| The job | BPC registration needed? | Major domestic building contract needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Painting only, any price | No | No, but a written contract is recommended |
| Painting plus another trade (such as plastering), $10,000 or less | No | No, but a written contract is recommended |
| Painting plus another trade, more than $10,000 | Yes | Yes, in writing |
Sources: Consumer Affairs Victoria’s checklist for home improvements costing $10,000 or less, its page on becoming a registered building practitioner and its page on what work requires a building contract.
When does a painting job need a registered builder?
When it stops being just painting. Consumer Affairs Victoria says a tradesperson who uses more than one of the listed skills, such as plastering and painting, must be registered with the BPC if the total cost of the work is more than $10,000.
This matters most when a repaint grows into a renovation. Large plaster repairs, new cornices, replacing rotten weatherboards or other carpentry alongside the painting can turn a single-trade job into a combined one. If your quote includes significant work beyond painting, ask who is doing each part and whether they are registered.
You can check a builder’s registration with the BPC’s Find and check a practitioner search, which Consumer Affairs Victoria points homeowners to on its page about builders, tradespeople and other building practitioners. Keep in mind that the BPC registers individual builders, not businesses, so check the name of the person who will be responsible for the work.
Do you need a written contract for a painting job?
The law doesn’t require a major domestic building contract for painting on its own. Consumer Affairs Victoria says a written major domestic building contract is needed for work worth more than $10,000, but not for jobs that involve only one listed trade, such as painting. The same page recommends a written contract for all building work, including work worth $10,000 or less.
Its checklist for homeowners goes further: make sure you have a written contract for all work, even small jobs, that clearly sets out the work to be done and the total cost, and put any agreed changes in writing.
For a painting job, a detailed written quote that you accept in writing often does this work. What it should list, from preparation to the number of coats, is covered in our guide to what a painting quote should include.
One more rule is worth knowing. If you sign an agreement after a painter knocks on your door uninvited, you have 10 business days to reconsider, and the trader must not supply the services or take any payment during that time.
How much deposit should you pay a painter in Victoria?
A small one. Consumer Affairs Victoria’s checklist says your deposit should be no more than 10% of the total price for jobs worth less than $20,000, and no more than 5% for work costing $20,000 or more. The same 10% and 5% limits apply to contracts under the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995.
| Total price of the job | Deposit should be no more than | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $20,000 | 10% | $800 on an $8,000 job |
| $20,000 or more | 5% | $1,250 on a $25,000 job |
The checklist also says to never pay the full amount up front, and not to make progress or final payments until you are satisfied the work in your contract is complete and free of defects. Consumer Affairs Victoria’s deposits and payments page adds a plain warning: don’t pay in advance.
On a longer job, it is normal to agree payment stages in writing, such as part payment when the exterior is finished and the balance after the final walk-through. Tie each payment to work you can see is done. If you are still working out what the job should cost, our guide to how much it costs to paint a house in Melbourne has current published price ranges.
What insurance should a painter have?
On a painting job, the cover to ask about is public liability insurance. It covers damage to your property or injury to other people caused by the work. Consumer Affairs Victoria’s checklist says to ask to see a certificate of currency for public liability insurance. Check that the business name on the certificate matches the quote and that the policy hasn’t expired.
The same checklist suggests calling your own home and contents insurer before work starts to confirm you are covered while the renovation is under way, as you may need extra cover.
What about domestic building insurance and Home Warranty insurance?
These are a different kind of insurance, and they are tied to major domestic building contracts. Victoria’s Home Warranty Scheme commenced on 1 July 2026 for eligible contracts signed on or after that date, replacing domestic building insurance. Consumer Affairs Victoria explains that your builder takes out Home Warranty insurance on your behalf after you sign the major domestic building contract, if the work is worth more than $20,000 and the home is three storeys or less. Under the old scheme, domestic building insurance applied to work over $16,000.
A painting-only job doesn’t need a major domestic building contract, so on a straight repaint public liability insurance is the cover to check. If your job combines painting with other trades and is big enough to need a registered builder and a major domestic building contract, ask about Home Warranty insurance before you pay a deposit. Consumer Affairs Victoria says not to pay the deposit until the builder gives you a certificate of currency for your property.
What are your rights if a painting job goes wrong?
The Australian Consumer Law gives you guarantees on services that apply automatically, whatever the contract says. Consumer Affairs Victoria lists three for services: they must be provided with due care and skill, be fit for purpose and be delivered within a reasonable time.
If the work falls short, what you can ask for depends on how serious the problem is. For a minor problem, Consumer Affairs Victoria says you can require the business to fix it within a reasonable time, and if it refuses or takes too long, have someone else fix it and recover the cost. For a major problem, you can cancel and pay a reasonable amount for the work done, or keep the contract and negotiate a lower price.
A painter’s written guarantee sits on top of these rights; it doesn’t replace them. Read what any guarantee covers, how long it lasts and whether it covers workmanship or only the paint.
What’s changing in Victoria’s building contract laws?
The Domestic Building Contracts Amendment Act 2025 passed the Victorian Parliament on 11 September 2025. Consumer Affairs Victoria says it will provide stronger protections for homeowners signing domestic building contracts, and that deposit limits, progress payment stages and progress payment limits can be set in regulations under the new law.
The figures in this guide are the ones Consumer Affairs Victoria’s pages show as we write. Some of them, such as the deposit limits, may change once the new law and its regulations take effect. Before you sign a large job, especially one that combines trades, check Consumer Affairs Victoria’s news page on the new laws for the latest on when the changes start.
What should you check before you hire a painter?
Run through these checks before you accept a quote. Most take a few minutes.
| Check | How to do it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Active ABN | Search the business name or ABN on ABN Lookup | Shows whether the ABN is active and whether the business is registered for GST |
| Public liability insurance | Ask for a certificate of currency | Covers damage to your property or injury to others caused by the work |
| Written quote | Get at least three quotes on the same detailed description of the job, as Consumer Affairs Victoria suggests | Lets you compare like with like and holds the painter to the scope |
| Registration, if trades are combined | Use the BPC’s Find and check a practitioner search | Required for combined-trade jobs over $10,000 |
| Deposit | No more than 10% under $20,000, 5% at $20,000 or more | Limits what you lose if the job doesn’t go ahead |
| Written guarantee | Read the terms before you sign | Tells you what is covered after the job, and for how long |
| References | Ask for recent jobs like yours and a past customer to call | Shows how the painter handles preparation, timing and clean-up |
Comparing quotes properly is its own skill. Our guide to what a painting quote should include has a checklist and the warning signs to look for, and our guide to how to choose a house painter in Melbourne lists 10 questions to ask before you hire.
How does AMP Master Painters meet these checks?
For transparency, here is where you can find each one for us. AMP Master Painters carries $10M public liability insurance, and our ABN is shown in the footer of every page on this site, so you can look it up on ABN Lookup yourself. Every job starts with a free site inspection and a written quote, usually the next day, and every job comes with our written 7-year satisfaction guarantee.
You can see each step from inspection to final walk-through on our process page, or read more about our interior painting and exterior painting services.
The bottom line
Painters don’t need a licence or registration in Victoria when painting is the only work on the job. Registration with the Building and Plumbing Commission comes in when a tradesperson combines trades, such as plastering and painting, on work worth more than $10,000. Whatever the job, get a detailed written quote and contract, keep the deposit to 10% or less, ask for a public liability certificate of currency, and check the ABN. Victoria’s building contract laws are changing, so check Consumer Affairs Victoria before you sign anything large.
