Who to hire for
Something is wrong. Who do you call?
129 household problems, each matched to the trade that actually fixes it — what to do before they arrive, what to ask when you book, what changes the price, and the cases where the obvious trade is the wrong one.
WhoToHire publishes 129 pages answering which trade to hire for a specific household problem in Australia, grouped into 11 categories: Water, drains and gas, Power and lighting, Heating, cooling and solar, Roof, walls and structure, Doors, locks and security, Garden, trees and outdoors, Pests and animals, Pool and spa, Cleaning and moving, Cars, Booked services. Each page names the trade, says whether the work requires a licence and where to check one in each state and territory, lists what to do before the tradesperson arrives and what to ask when booking, and explains what makes one job cost more than another. None of them contains a price, because this directory holds no price data.
Water, drains and gas
- Who to hire for a blocked drainA licensed plumber — specifically one who owns a drain machine or a high-pressure water jetter, which not…
- Who to hire for a leaking tapA licensed plumber. It is a small job — usually replacing a washer or a ceramic cartridge — and the usefu…
- Who to hire for a burst pipeAn emergency plumber, and before they arrive, the water off at the main stop tap. A burst pipe is one of …
- Who to hire when you have no hot waterA licensed plumber, and for an electric storage system it may be an electrician instead — the water side …
- Who to hire for a hot water system that needs replacingA licensed plumber, and a gasfitter as well if it is a gas unit — in practice the same person, holding bo…
- Who to hire for a toilet that keeps runningA licensed plumber. It is almost always the inlet valve or the outlet seal in the cistern, both routine r…
- Who to hire for a blocked toiletA licensed plumber. Try a proper toilet plunger first — the flanged kind, not the flat cup for sinks — an…
- Who to hire for low water pressureA licensed plumber — but first work out whether it is one outlet or the whole house, because one outlet i…
- Who to hire for a leaking showerStart with a licensed plumber to rule out the tap set, the mixer body and the waste. If the pipework test…
- Who to call when you can smell gasNobody, until you have done three things: do not touch any switch or ignition source, open the doors and …
- Who to hire for a gas heater that needs servicingA licensed gasfitter with a gas appliance endorsement — in practice a plumber holding both. Ask specifica…
- Who to hire for a smell of sewage in the houseA licensed plumber. The three usual causes are a floor waste or fixture trap that has dried out, a perish…
- Who to hire for tree roots in the drainsA licensed plumber with a jetter and a camera to clear and inspect the drain, and then an arborist to adv…
- Who to hire for a water bill that suddenly doubledA licensed plumber, ideally one who does leak detection with acoustic or thermal equipment rather than by…
- Who to hire for a dishwasher that needs installingA licensed plumber for the water supply and the drain connection, and an electrician if there is no suita…
- Who to hire for a rainwater tank to installA licensed plumber, as soon as the tank is connected to anything inside the house — toilets, laundry, or …
- Who to hire for a stormwater drain that overflowsA licensed plumber. Stormwater is a separate system from the sewer in most of Australia — different pipes…
Power and lighting
- Who to hire when half the house has no powerA licensed electrician. Power out in part of the house with the neighbours unaffected means one circuit h…
- Who to call for a burning smell from a power pointA licensed electrician, today, and in the meantime turn that circuit off at the switchboard. A burnt smel…
- Who to hire for lights that flickerA licensed electrician if the flicker affects more than one fitting, changes when a big appliance starts,…
- Who to hire for a switchboard that needs upgradingA licensed electrician. The three triggers are rewireable ceramic fuses instead of circuit breakers, an a…
- Who to hire to add a power pointA licensed electrician. There is no state in which a householder may install a power point. The practical…
- Who to hire for downlights to installA licensed electrician. Beyond the wiring, the two things worth getting right are clearance from insulati…
- Who to hire for a ceiling fan to installA licensed electrician. The part worth asking about is the fixing: a fan has to be attached to a ceiling …
- Who to hire for smoke alarms to replaceA licensed electrician for any alarm wired to the mains, which covers most alarms installed in the last f…
- Who to hire for an EV charger to installA licensed electrician, and for most charger brands one with the manufacturer's installer accreditation a…
- Who to hire for a house that needs rewiringA licensed electrician, and for a whole house, one who does rewires as a normal part of their work rather…
- Who to hire for an oven that stopped heatingA licensed electrician for anything involving the circuit, the isolation switch or a hardwired connection…
- Who to hire for outdoor lighting to installA licensed electrician. Low-voltage plug-in garden lighting from a transformer on an existing outdoor out…
Heating, cooling and solar
- Who to hire for an air conditioner that stopped coolingA heating and cooling technician holding a refrigerant handling licence. Anyone who handles refrigerant i…
- Who to hire for an air conditioner that leaks waterA heating and cooling technician. Water running down a wall from an indoor unit is almost always a blocke…
- Who to hire for a split system to installA heating and cooling installer holding a refrigerant handling licence, working with a licensed electrici…
- Who to hire for ducted heating that stopped workingFor ducted gas, a licensed gasfitter with a gas appliance endorsement. For ducted reverse-cycle or a duct…
- Who to hire for an evaporative cooler that needs servicingA heating and cooling technician who works on evaporative systems — it is a different skill set from refr…
- Who to hire for solar panels that stopped producingA solar installer accredited for grid-connected PV, who is also a licensed electrician — the accreditatio…
- Who to hire for a solar inverter showing an errorAn accredited solar installer who is also a licensed electrician. Record the exact code before you ring —…
- Who to hire for solar panels that need cleaningA solar installer or a specialist cleaner with height-safety equipment. Be realistic about the benefit: i…
- Who to hire for a home battery to addAn accredited installer who is a licensed electrician and holds the battery endorsement on their accredit…
Roof, walls and structure
- Who to hire for a leaking roofA roofer — but confirm it is the roof first. A ceiling stain that only appears in rain is a roof leak; on…
- Who to hire for gutters that overflowA roof plumber or roofer. Start with cleaning, because leaves are the cause most of the time — but if the…
- Who to hire for broken or slipped roof tilesA roofer. Individual broken tiles are a quick replacement if matching tiles are available; the bigger and…
- Who to hire for storm damage to a roofA roofer for the emergency make-safe, and your insurer's claims line at the same time — many policies cov…
- Who to hire for a roof that needs replacingA licensed roofing contractor, and at this value the licence check is not optional — replacing a roof is …
- Who to hire for water damage to a ceilingFind and fix the source first — roofer, plumber or air conditioning technician depending on the cause — a…
- Who to hire for birds nesting in the roofA pest controller who does bird proofing, and for a protected species, one who knows the state wildlife r…
- Who to hire for a skylight that leaksA roofer. Most skylight leaks are at the flashing where the unit meets the roof rather than through the u…
- Who to hire for cracks in the wallsFor hairline cracks in plaster, a plasterer or a painter. For cracks that are wider than a few millimetre…
- Who to hire for a house that needs underpinningA structural engineer first, then a builder or a specialist underpinning or restumping contractor working…
- Who to hire for damp at the bottom of a wallA builder or a damp specialist — but insist on a diagnosis before a treatment. Damp at the base of a wall…
- Who to hire for a floor that feels bouncyA builder or a carpenter who does subfloor work — and if the house is on stumps, a restumping contractor.…
- Who to hire for a door that won't closeA carpenter or handyman for a hinge, a latch or a swollen door — a genuinely small job. A builder if seve…
- Who to hire for mould in a bathroomA cleaner for the mould itself, and then whichever trade fixes the moisture: an electrician or ventilatio…
- Who to hire for cracked or loose floor tilesA tiler — but a tile that cracked in a straight line across several tiles, or a floor full of hollow-soun…
- Who to hire for a shower that needs regroutingA tiler or a specialist regrouting contractor. It genuinely restores a tired shower and it genuinely does…
- Who to hire for a bathroom to renovateA licensed builder to manage it, or you as owner-builder coordinating a plumber, an electrician, a waterp…
- Who to hire for asbestos in the houseA licensed asbestos assessor to identify and sample it, and a licensed asbestos removalist to remove it. …
- Who to hire for peeling or flaking paintA painter — and a good one will spend more time on preparation and on diagnosing why it failed than on ap…
- Who to hire for a house to repaint outsideA painter, and the decision is made on preparation and access rather than on brand of paint. Ask for the …
- Who to hire for a deck that has rottedA carpenter or builder. The distinction that matters is between deck boards, which are a replaceable surf…
- Who to hire for a hole in the plasterboardA plasterer, or a painter who does patching. The repair itself is quick; matching the surrounding finish …
Doors, locks and security
- Who to hire when you're locked outA locksmith — and get the total price on the phone before they leave, including the call-out, the labour …
- Who to hire when you've lost your car keysAn automotive locksmith, which for most vehicles is faster and cheaper than the dealership and can be don…
- Who to hire for a lock that has stopped workingA locksmith. But check the door first: a lock that has gradually become harder to turn, or a door that ha…
- Who to hire for locks to change after moving inA locksmith. In most cases you do not need new locks — you need the existing cylinders re-keyed, which is…
- Who to hire for a garage door that won't openA garage door technician. Check the simple things first — power at the outlet, the safety sensors aligned…
- Who to hire for a garage door remote that stopped workingOften nobody — change the battery and re-pair the remote following the opener's manual first, because tha…
- Who to hire for a new garage door to installA garage door installer, and an electrician if the opener needs a new power point. The measurement that m…
- Who to hire for a fence that has fallen overA fencing contractor — and before you book, talk to the neighbour, because in every Australian state a di…
- Who to hire for a fence to replaceA fencing contractor. Settle three things first: where the boundary actually is, what the neighbour agree…
- Who to hire for a pool fence that needs to complyA pool safety inspector to assess it against your state's requirements, then a fencing contractor to do t…
Garden, trees and outdoors
- Who to hire for a tree that needs removingA qualified arborist — and check your council's rules before you book, because most local governments con…
- Who to hire for a dangerous tree branchA qualified arborist, urgently, if a limb is cracked, hanging or has dropped. Keep people and cars out fr…
- Who to hire for a tree that has fallenAn arborist for removal — but first, if it is anywhere near power lines, ring your electricity distributo…
- Who to hire for a stump to removeAn arborist or a stump grinding contractor. The two things worth specifying are the depth — grinding to a…
- Who to hire for tree roots lifting a drivewayAn arborist first, then a concreter or landscaper. The arborist decides which roots can be cut without ki…
- Who to hire for an overgrown gardenA gardener or garden maintenance contractor for the clean-up, and an arborist for anything that counts as…
- Who to hire for a hedge to trimA gardener for a hedge you could reach from a step ladder. An arborist once it is well above head height,…
- Who to hire for a lawn to replaceA landscaper or turf supplier who does installation. The turf is the cheapest part of the decision — what…
- Who to hire for an irrigation system to installA landscaper or irrigation specialist, with a licensed plumber for the connection to the mains and the ba…
- Who to hire for weeds that have taken overA gardener or a licensed weed control contractor. Identify what you actually have first: several states d…
- Who to hire for a retaining wall to buildA landscaper for a low garden wall, and a builder working to an engineer's design for anything above the …
- Who to hire for a driveway to repaveA concreter, paver or landscaper depending on the surface. Whatever the finish, the job is the base: a dr…
Pests and animals
- Who to hire for termites in the houseA licensed pest manager, and do not spray, disturb or break open anything you have found first. Termites …
- Who to hire for a pre-purchase pest inspectionA licensed timber pest inspector, usually alongside a building inspector — and often the same business of…
- Who to hire for cockroaches in the kitchenA licensed pest manager. Identification matters more here than in most pest problems: small German cockro…
- Who to hire for ants in the kitchenA licensed pest manager if baiting has not worked or if the ants are structurally damaging — but for most…
- Who to hire for a rat or mouse problemA licensed pest manager, and insist that proofing the entry points is part of the job rather than just ba…
- Who to hire for possums in the roofA licensed pest manager or wildlife controller who does possum exclusion. Possums are protected native wi…
- Who to hire for a wasp or bee nestFor wasps, a licensed pest manager. For honey bees, a beekeeper or a swarm collector — many will remove a…
- Who to hire for spiders around the houseA licensed pest manager, if you have a genuine problem rather than a normal number of spiders. The honest…
- Who to hire for bed bugsA licensed pest manager with specific bed bug experience, and expect a multi-visit program rather than on…
- Who to hire for fleas in the houseA licensed pest manager for the house and your vet for the animal, at the same time. Most of a flea popul…
- Who to hire for silverfish in the cupboardsA licensed pest manager if they are damaging books, papers or clothing in numbers — but silverfish thrive…
Pool and spa
- Who to hire for a green poolA pool technician. A green pool is usually recoverable by shocking, correcting the chemistry and running …
- Who to hire for a pool pump that has stoppedA pool technician, or an electrician if the circuit has tripped and will not reset. Check the safety swit…
- Who to hire for a pool that is losing waterA pool technician or a specialist leak detection service. Do the bucket test first: it separates evaporat…
Cleaning and moving
- Who to hire for an end of lease cleanA cleaning business that does end-of-lease work specifically, and get the agent's own exit checklist firs…
- Who to hire for a carpet to cleanA carpet cleaning business. The main decision is hot water extraction — commonly called steam cleaning — …
- Who to hire for windows to cleanA window cleaning business. The thing that changes the price and the risk is height: anything requiring a…
- Who to hire for a house to clean after building workA cleaning business that does builders cleans specifically. Fine construction dust — plaster, silica, saw…
- Who to hire for a driveway or path to pressure washA cleaning contractor who does exterior surface cleaning. The competence question is about restraint rath…
- Who to hire for moving houseA removalist — and before anything else, establish what happens if something is damaged. Removalists in A…
- Who to hire for an interstate moveAn interstate removalist or a backloading service. Two things differ from a local move: your goods usuall…
- Who to hire for a piano to moveA piano removalist specifically. An upright is heavy and top-heavy, a grand has to be partly dismantled a…
- Who to hire for an office to relocateA commercial removalist who does office relocations, and separately an IT provider for the technology — t…
- Who to hire for rubbish to removeA rubbish removal business or a skip bin, depending on whether you want it loaded for you. The two things…
Cars
- Who to hire for a car that won't startRoadside assistance first if you have it, then a licensed mechanic. Listen to what it does: nothing at al…
- Who to hire when the check engine light comes onA licensed mechanic. How urgent depends on the behaviour: a steady light with the car driving normally us…
- Who to hire for a car service dueAny licensed mechanic, including an independent workshop. A manufacturer cannot void your Australian Cons…
- Who to hire for a roadworthy certificateA licensed vehicle tester — a mechanic specifically authorised by the state to issue them, which is not e…
- Who to hire for brakes that are squealingA licensed mechanic. The distinction worth making before you ring: a high-pitched squeal when braking is …
- Who to hire for a car that is overheatingA licensed mechanic, and stop driving now. Continuing to drive an overheating engine is the single most e…
- Who to hire for a used car to inspect before buyingA licensed mechanic, ideally one who specialises in the make, or a motoring club's inspection service. Bo…
- Who to hire for a car air conditioner that is not coldA mechanic or auto electrician holding a refrigerant handling licence — the same national scheme that cov…
- Who to hire for bird droppings that have marked the paintA car wash or detailer, promptly. Bird droppings are acidic and, on a hot panel, soften and etch the clea…
- Who to hire for a car covered in tree sapA car wash or detailer with a dedicated sap remover, or a detailer if it has been baked on for weeks. The…
- Who to hire for a car to detail before sellingA car detailer. For a car being sold, the value is in the things buyers notice in the first ten seconds: …
- Who to hire for a car with swirl marks in the paintA detailer who does paint correction. Understand what it is: machine polishing removes a thin layer of cl…
- Who to hire for a car interior to cleanA car detailer. Be specific about which problem you have, because pet hair removal, odour treatment and f…
Booked services
- Who to hire for a house to photograph for saleA real estate photographer, and in most cases your agent will arrange one as part of a marketing package …
- Who to hire for a wedding to photographA wedding photographer, booked on a written contract. Two things matter more than style: what happens if …
- Who to hire for a family portrait to bookA portrait photographer. The thing to settle before booking is the pricing structure: many portrait busin…
- Who to hire for a dog with a matted coatA professional groomer. If the matting is tight to the skin, expect them to recommend clipping the coat o…
- Who to hire for a nervous dog to groomA groomer who works with anxious dogs specifically, and ideally one who offers one-to-one appointments wi…
- Who to hire for a cat that needs groomingA groomer who takes cats specifically — many do not, and it is a distinct skill. Cats mat differently, to…
- Who to hire for driving lessons for a learnerAn accredited driving instructor. This is the one trade in this group with a real register: every state r…
- Who to hire for a driving test to prepare forAn accredited driving instructor, for a pre-test lesson in the test area and ideally with their car on th…
- Who to hire for lessons for a nervous driverAn accredited instructor who advertises work with anxious or returning drivers. It is a real specialisati…
- Who to hire for an overseas licence to convertStart with your state transport authority rather than an instructor: whether you can transfer directly, o…
Not sure it is any of these?
Start from the trade, or from where you live. Every list on this site is built from what 66,104 Australian trade businesses publish about themselves, and every check that was run is shown along with the ones that were not.