The free public checks every Illawarra homeowner should run before signing a quote — plus what to look for on an active site, and who to call when something doesn’t add up.

Why This Matters More Than Most People Realise

Demolition isn’t like getting a fence put up. In NSW it’s heavily regulated work, and for good reason: most pre-2004 houses in the Illawarra contain asbestos, demolition waste has to be tracked and disposed of at licensed facilities, and the work sits under the Work Health and Safety Act with serious consequences when it goes wrong.

You’re hiring a contractor. If you engage an unlicensed operator and something goes wrong on your property, a lot of that risk lands on you. Asbestos exposure to neighbours becomes a problem you helped create. Illegal dumping can be traced back to the landowner under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 and the EPA can issue clean-up notices. If your contractor isn’t insured and someone gets hurt, your home insurance may decline the claim.

Demolition has started next door. Asbestos fibres don’t respect a paling fence. If a contractor next door is cutting or breaking asbestos sheets without the right controls, the risk travels. You have every right to know who’s doing the work, whether they’re licensed, and what the plan is for your safety.

The Five Public Checks — Takes Less Than 5 Minutes

1. Check the Demolition Licence

In NSW, you need a SafeWork NSW Restricted Demolition Licence to carry out demolition work. Verify any contractor at verify.licence.nsw.gov.au — free, no login required. If they’re not listed, or their licence has expired, they cannot legally carry out demolition in NSW.

Red flag: “My licence is being renewed” or any variation of “I don’t have it on me.” A licensed contractor will give you their number in 30 seconds.

2. Check the Asbestos Removal Licence

If the property was built before 1990, asbestos is likely present. Removing more than 10 square metres of non-friable (bonded) asbestos requires a SafeWork NSW Class B Asbestos Removal Licence. Friable asbestos requires Class A regardless of quantity. Check at the same site: verify.licence.nsw.gov.au.

Red flag: A demolition contractor who says they’ll “handle any asbestos on the day” without showing you an asbestos removal licence. Demolition licences and asbestos removal licences are separate.

Verifying DemoEx? Our licences are held under the legal entity EEPM PTY LTD — search that name (not “DemoEx”) on the SafeWork register. Our licence numbers: Restricted Demolition Licence AD214216 and Class B (Non-Friable) Asbestos Removal Licence AD214187. Both can be verified at verify.licence.nsw.gov.au.

3. Check the ABN

Check at abn.business.gov.au. Confirm the business name matches their quote and signage, the entity is Active, and GST registration is current.

Red flag: ABN doesn’t match the business name on the quote, or the entity has been cancelled.

4. Check Public Liability Insurance

Ask for a Certificate of Currency confirming the policy is active. Minimum $5M for residential work — $20M is industry standard for demolition. You can call the insurer directly to verify it’s genuine.

Red flag: “We’re insured, don’t worry about it” with no document to follow. Verbal assurance on insurance is worthless if something goes wrong.

5. Check Workers Compensation Insurance

In NSW, any employer must hold workers compensation insurance. Ask for the workers comp certificate of currency. In NSW this is issued by icare — verify at icare.nsw.gov.au.

Red flag: “It’s in the post” or “we don’t need it for a job this size.” All workers must be covered, regardless of job size.

Pre-Hire Red Flags

  • Cash-only quotes. Legitimate contractors invoice, charge GST, and accept bank transfer.
  • No written, itemised quote. A real demolition quote tells you exactly what’s being removed, where the waste is going, and what’s included for asbestos handling.
  • Pressure to start “tomorrow.” Real contractors are booked out. “I can have a crew there in the morning, but only if you decide now” is a classic pressure tactic.
  • Quotes well below market. If three contractors quote $25–35k and one quotes $12k, the fourth is cutting something — waste disposal, insurance, licensed removal, or all three.
  • Refusal to provide licence numbers. A licensed operator will give you theirs in 30 seconds.
  • No site visit before quoting. Any contractor quoting demolition or asbestos removal without attending site is guessing. A proper quote requires eyes on the job — construction type, access, asbestos identification, waste volumes. A phone quote is not a real quote.
  • A website that looks suspiciously similar to an established local business. Check the URL carefully and cross-reference the business name and licence against the SafeWork register before you call.

What You Should Receive in Writing Before Work Starts

  • A scoped, itemised quote with inclusions and exclusions
  • Demolition licence number
  • Asbestos removal licence number (if applicable)
  • ABN and certificates of currency for public liability and workers compensation
  • For asbestos work: a site-specific Asbestos Removal Control Plan (ARCP) and Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) before work starts — mandatory under the WHS Regulation 2017
  • SafeWork NSW notification confirming 5 working days notice has been given
  • After completion: tip dockets showing where waste was disposed
  • After asbestos removal: a clearance certificate

When Demolition Starts Next Door: What You Should See

A professional contractor will drop a neighbour notification in your letterbox before work starts — the start date, duration, contractor name, and contact number. They’ll erect 1.8m perimeter fencing before the first sheet comes off, and display compliant signage with their company name, licence number, and asbestos warning signs where applicable.

What proper asbestos removal actually looks like:

  • Workers in full PPE: P2 respirators, disposable coveralls, gloves. No exceptions.
  • Sheets kept whole and intact — lowered carefully, not thrown or dropped.
  • Plastic sheeting (200µm) on the ground under the work area.
  • Wet methods — water sprayed on the material to suppress dust.
  • Waste double-bagged in 200µm polythene with asbestos warning labels.
  • A sealed skip or purpose-built asbestos skip — not an open bin with sheets hanging over the edge.

Red Flags on an Active Site

  • Workers dry-cutting or power-tooling fibro sheeting with no PPE
  • Dust clouds with no water suppression
  • Sheets being thrown off a roof or pushed over with an excavator
  • Waste in an open skip, not bagged
  • No site fencing, no licence number on site signage
  • Work starting before 7am or running past 6pm

Who to Call

Unlicensed work or unsafe asbestos removal

SafeWork NSW: 13 10 50 (Monday–Friday, business hours). You can also lodge a complaint at safework.nsw.gov.au. Your complaint can be anonymous. SafeWork inspectors can attend site and issue stop-work notices.

Illegal dumping of demolition waste

NSW EPA Environment Line: 131 555 (24 hours, 7 days). Report illegal dumping — including asbestos disposed of incorrectly. If you see a truck taking waste somewhere unexpected, photograph the rego if you can do so safely.

Work without council approval

Wollongong City Council: (02) 4227 7111. If demolition is happening without a CDC or DA, contact council’s development compliance team. A DA reference should be on the site signage.

Not sure what you’re looking at?

Call DemoEx on 0457 336 639. We’re happy to talk you through what compliant work looks like — whether you’re hiring us or not. If something you’ve described sounds like it needs reporting, we’ll say so.

The Short Version

Five minutes on the SafeWork licence register and ABN lookup will tell you more about a demolition contractor than an hour on the phone with them. A licensed, properly set-up contractor will hand you everything on this list without being asked. One who can’t — or won’t — is telling you something important.

In the Illawarra, where most residential demolition involves asbestos-containing materials, this isn’t just about protecting your wallet. It’s about protecting your property, your neighbours, and anyone who works on the site.