How to Find a Reliable Tradie
Finding a reliable tradie isn't about luck. If you want to hire a good tradesman or contractor, there are a few things you can actually check before you commit, and most people skip all of them.
How long have they been operating
A tradie who's been running their business for five years or more has usually figured out how to run a job properly. It's not the only sign, but it's a strong one. Staying in business that long means turning up, doing the work, and getting paid, over and over, for real clients.
Keep it local
Where possible, pick a tradie based in your suburb or close to it. Jobs almost always throw up a small defect or a missed detail after the fact, a touch-up, something that got knocked, a minor fix. A local tradie can swing by before or after another job to sort it out. Someone based twenty kilometres away is far less likely to bother for a small callback, simply because your job isn't on their way. Staying local isn't just convenient, it's often the difference between small issues getting fixed quickly or not at all.
Don't judge them on social media alone
A lot of good tradies are too busy working to keep their Instagram or website updated. No online presence isn't a red flag by itself. But if they do have one, it's worth a look. Check the photos of finished work, and pay attention to the type of jobs they're doing. A tradie working on architecturally designed homes is a good sign. Same if you're building units and they've got unit developments in their portfolio, that's the experience you want.
Check their reviews and ratings
This is the one most people can't actually do. Word-of-mouth only tells you what the people in your own circle know, and a Google review is usually written by a homeowner about one job, it won't tell you if a tradie pays late, communicates poorly, or is hard to coordinate with. What you really want is a wider view, reviews and ratings from other builders and contractors who've actually worked with this tradie on real jobs.
What you're really trying to find out is simple. Do they turn up when they say they will. Do they tell you when something goes wrong, or do you find out yourself. Does the final invoice match the quote. Would another builder hire them again. That last one only comes from someone who's actually worked the trade side of a job with them, not a star rating from a stranger online.
Get them on the phone
Once you've checked the above, the next step is to talk to them. This conversation tells you more than anything else on this list.
Don't call and launch straight into your job. Introduce yourself first, then ask if they've got five minutes, or if there's a better time to call back. A lot of tradesmen are on-site when you call, with their head somewhere else entirely. Most won't say it's a bad time, they don't want to be rude, but you'll get a much better conversation if you call back when they can actually give you their attention.
Once you've got a good time locked in, have a proper chat. Ask about the work they do, what they've completed recently, where their jobs are usually located, and how busy they currently are. It's worth asking how many people work in their business too, it gives you a sense of the size and setup you're dealing with.
This is also the point to explain your own project. Let them know what you've got coming up, roughly what you build on a yearly basis, and your expected start date, then ask if they can fit it in. There's no point spending twenty minutes on the phone only to find out they're booked solid next month when you need to start in two weeks.
Pay attention to how quickly they can start. A tradesman who's free tomorrow is often a sign they're short on work, and it's worth asking yourself why. A good, organised tradesman is usually booked out ahead of time, unless it's emergency work, which is a different situation entirely.
Once you've got a good feel for them and confirmed the timing works, ask them to quote your project. That's the next step.
This is the process I still use
Even when a tradie comes recommended by a friend or another trade, I go through the same checks. How long they've been in business, what sort of work they do, where they're located. The referral covers the trust side of things, so there's no need to go checking up on that part. But the rest of the process stays the same. That's how I've found good, reliable tradesmen over the years, and it hasn't let me down.
How SiteCred helps
Checking years in business, work history, and reputation used to mean relying on word-of-mouth or guesswork. SiteCred brings it together in one place. Every business is ABN-verified, and reviews and ratings come from other builders and contractors who've actually worked with them, on payment, communication, coordination and quality. Before you hire a tradesman or contractor, search their name and see the track record for yourself.
Keep reading: what ABN verification actually checks, and why we built SiteCred.