Storm repairs at the door: licences, deposits and cooling-off in Queensland

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Kooky

Builder of Shaka, the payment router that pays every agent their commission on closing date.

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Every storm season in Queensland follows a familiar pattern. The hail stops, the tarps go up, and within days strangers are walking the street, knocking on doors where the roof is visibly damaged. Some are honest tradespeople looking for work. Others are what the Insurance Council of Australia calls disaster chasers: operators who arrive offering quick inspections and quick fixes, ask for cash, and leave behind unfinished work or a bill the insurer will not pay.

The difference matters most in the first week after a storm, when owners are stressed, repairs feel urgent and nobody wants to wait in a queue. This guide sets out what Queensland's rules say about that moment: how door-to-door sales are regulated, the period in which a signed agreement can be cancelled, when a repairer needs a building licence, how much a builder may lawfully ask for before starting, how to check a licence on the spot, and how an insurance claim fits around all of it. It ends with an order of steps for the days after a storm. It deals with repairs offered at the door; choosing a builder for a planned new home is a different question.

Office of Fair Trading rules on door-to-door sales, updated 1 July 2026; Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) contract and licensing guidance.

Why storm season brings knocks on the door

The scale of a single Queensland storm explains why opportunists follow the weather. A hailstorm can damage thousands of roofs in an afternoon, and each damaged roof is a household that needs a repairer at the same time as its neighbours.

The Insurance Council of Australia's own releases from late 2025 show it. After the hailstorm across the wider Brisbane region on Sunday 26 October 2025, insurers had received more than 19,300 claims by 4 November. Storms between 31 October and 2 November added 3,880 more. Then the south-east Queensland hailstorms of 23 and 24 November 2025 produced more than 27,800 claims by 26 November, and the Insurance Council set up an industry-wide taskforce to handle them.

In each of those releases, the Insurance Council paired the claim count with a warning about disaster chasers. It had issued the same warning in October 2025 for Gympie, Maryborough and the surrounding areas after hail there. The warnings are a regular part of the season, not a response to one bad event.

The tactics insurers and regulators describe

The Insurance Council's guidance on disaster chasers lists the patterns its members see. Operators door-knock damaged streets, sometimes straight after an event and sometimes months later. They offer a free inspection and then report damage the owner did not know about. Some say they act for the owner's insurance company. They ask for money up front, promise repairs in a very short time, quote well below other bids, or work without the licences and insurance the job needs. A common line is that they can get the insurer to pay more than the owner could get alone.

The Office of Fair Trading describes travelling traders in similar terms. Its page on door-to-door sales warns that such traders may push a deal that is available "today only", ask for cash up front or offer to drive the owner to the bank, tell a hard-luck story, or persuade the owner that a service is needed when it is not. The results it lists are familiar: work that is substandard or never finished, a trader who cannot be reached once paid, and a second bill to fix the first job.

Two of those tactics are not just poor practice. The Office of Fair Trading states that a "today only" deal is illegal because a 10-day cooling-off period must apply, and that asking for cash up front, or driving someone to the bank to get it, is illegal during that period. The rest of this guide explains where those rules come from and when they apply.

None of this describes the tradespeople who knock on doors honestly after a storm. It describes a set of behaviours, and the rules below are designed to make those behaviours visible.

The rules every door-to-door trader must follow

When a business approaches a person at home without being invited, and the deal is worth more than $100 or has no set price, the Office of Fair Trading treats it as an unsolicited sale. A trader who knocks on a door after a storm and offers to fix the roof is making exactly that kind of approach.

Some rules apply to every such visit, whatever the price:

• Hours. Door-to-door traders may call between 9am and 6pm Monday to Friday and between 9am and 5pm on Saturday. They may not call on Sundays or public holidays.
• Leaving. A trader must leave when asked, even if the house has no sign. The Office of Fair Trading notes that a free "Do not knock" sticker on the door means traders must not approach at all.
• Identification. A trader must show identification where relevant, and the Office of Fair Trading's advice is not to deal with anyone who cannot.

When an agreement is signed at the door, a written copy must be handed over immediately. According to the Office of Fair Trading, it must be signed, state that the salesperson acts for a business, give the total cost including GST and delivery, explain the cooling-off rights, include a cancellation notice and say how to reach the business. An agreement that lacks those elements is a sign that the rules have not been followed, which has consequences for how long the owner can cancel.

Ten business days to change your mind

The centre of the door-to-door rules is the cooling-off period. For a door-to-door sale over $100, the Office of Fair Trading states that the buyer has 10 business days to change their mind, for any reason and without penalty. The Insurance Council describes the same protection in its warnings as a statutory 10-day cooling-off period, and adds that the owner's insurer can help end an arrangement signed with a disaster chaser.

What the trader may do during those 10 business days is tightly limited:

• No payment. No payment or deposit may be taken, even if goods have already been delivered.
• No services. No services may be supplied, whatever their value. A repair is a service.
• Goods. Goods worth $500 or more may not be supplied. Goods under $500 may be supplied straight away, but they remain the trader's property until paid for, and must be kept in good condition in case the agreement is cancelled. If it is cancelled, the business has 30 days to collect them; after that the buyer may keep them free of charge.

The period can run much longer. If the business breaks the unsolicited sales rules, in particular those on the agreement itself and on the cooling-off period, the Office of Fair Trading says the buyer can cancel without penalty for up to six months after signing.

This is why a demand for cash at the door is such a clear warning. Under these rules a door-to-door repairer should not be asking for any payment, deposit or materials money before the 10 business days have run out.

The exception is narrow. It depends on a formal disaster declaration, not on a storm simply being severe, and it concerns work associated with that disaster. Owners in a declared area lose the comfort of the 10-day window for that work, which makes the checks in the rest of this guide more important, not less.

When storm repairs become building work

Door-to-door rules are only half of the picture. Roof, fence, gutter and structural repairs are usually building work, and building work in Queensland has its own regulator, the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC).

The first threshold is $3,300. The QBCC's guidance on recovering from a natural disaster states that a written contract is legally required for work valued over $3,300, and recommended below it. The Office of Fair Trading points to the same figure, advising owners to search the QBCC licensee register for building work over $3,300 such as roof or fence repairs. Licensed contractors must also take out home warranty insurance on residential work over $3,300; the QBCC says that using a licensed contractor brings cover under the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme and access to its dispute resolution service.

The QBCC calls a contract from $3,301 to $19,999 a level 1 contract, and one of $20,000 or more a level 2 contract. A level 1 contract must include the parties' names, the contractor's name and licence number as shown on the licence, the site address, a description of the work, the price or how it is calculated, the home warranty premium, the completion date, any plans and specifications, and a notice of the owner's cooling-off rights. The contractor must hand over a fully signed copy within five business days. A level 2 contract adds a start date and a date for practical completion, warranties on materials and workmanship, price-change warnings, and the QBCC Consumer Building Guide, which must be given to the owner before signing.

Building contracts over $3,300 carry their own cooling-off period. The QBCC states it is generally five business days, starting the day after the owner receives a signed copy of the whole contract, and for contracts of $20,000 or more, the Consumer Building Guide as well. The owner withdraws by giving the contractor a signed written notice, and the contractor is usually entitled to keep $100 plus reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. This right does not apply in two cases, according to the QBCC: where the parties had an earlier contract on substantially the same terms for the same site, or where the owner took legal advice from a practising lawyer before signing.

For storm work in particular, the QBCC publishes a natural disaster repairs contract. Its guidance says that template is for repairs of any value to homes damaged by a natural disaster, and not for rebuilding an entire home.

How much a builder may ask for up front

Deposits are where storm repair arrangements most often go wrong, and Queensland sets a ceiling. The QBCC's rule is that the maximum deposit a contractor may request depends on the value of the work.

The QBCC allows one exception: up to 20 per cent where substantial customised or prefabricated work is done off site and makes up more than half the total contract price. Its examples are items such as made-to-measure kitchen cabinetry, windows, sheds, pergolas and cladding.

A worked example shows the effect on a typical storm job. On a roof repair quoted at $15,000, a level 1 contract, the deposit may not exceed $1,500. On a $40,000 roof replacement, a level 2 contract, the ceiling is $2,000. These figures are illustrative; the percentages come from the QBCC.

The QBCC adds two points owners should weigh. If a contractor asks for more than the lawful deposit, the owner is not obliged to pay the excess, and paying it may mean that excess cannot be recovered under the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme. And after the deposit, payments must stay in proportion to the work done: a contractor cannot claim more than 50 per cent of the contract price, deposit included, until at least half the onsite work is complete. Its general advice is not to pay in advance, not to pay before a payment is due, and not to pay the full price until all the agreed work has been confirmed as finished.

Where a door-to-door agreement is involved, the two sets of rules point the same way. The Office of Fair Trading's rules bar any payment during the 10 business days, and the QBCC's deposit limits cap what may be asked once that period is over.

Checking a licence on the doorstep

A licence check takes minutes and settles a great deal. The QBCC's licensee register shows whether a licence is current, the name it is issued to, its class, any conditions on it and any disciplinary history.

The QBCC's advice on licence fraud goes further than the register. A licence number alone is not proof of identity, because a real licensee's name and number can be borrowed by someone else. The QBCC cites a case reported by the ABC in which a person allegedly used an existing licensee's name to win contracts and take deposits. Its recommendations are to sight the physical card or digital licence, check that the photo matches the person at the door, confirm the person is the licence holder, ask for references or examples of past work, and call the company they say they represent. The QBCC has started issuing photo licences, and by 1 September 2026 almost 11,000 licensees had taken up its digital licence.

A few rules about who needs which licence are useful after a storm:

• Interstate trades. Repairers often travel to Queensland after a major event. The QBCC states that a licence from another state is not enough: a QBCC licence is required to contract directly with Queensland owners, and interstate applicants can apply under mutual recognition.
• Electrical work. Electricians are licensed by the Electrical Safety Office, not the QBCC. The Office of Fair Trading suggests searching that register for work such as hard-wired smoke alarm repairs.
• Asbestos. The QBCC warns that homes built before 1990 are likely to contain asbestos and should not be disturbed by owners. Removing more than 10 square metres requires a licence from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.
• Exempt work. Cleaning, carpet laying and most floor coverings, other than tiles or timber flooring, do not need a QBCC licence.

For the business itself, the Office of Fair Trading also suggests checking the business name with ASIC, confirming an Australian Business Number, getting a quote and receipt showing the trader's name and address, and noting the vehicle and its registration.

Insurance claims and the "your insurer will pay" pitch

For an insured owner, the claim often decides who does the work. The QBCC notes that most work in disaster areas is allocated by insurers, and the Insurance Council's guidance sets out how that normally works.

Insurers do not send a tradesperson or builder to a home without first notifying the owner and giving details. A tradesperson working for the insurer will not ask the owner for payment. Before agreeing to any repair or rebuilding, the owner should speak to the insurer to confirm the work will be covered. In doubt, the Insurance Council's advice is to ask for identification, such as a builder's licence or driver's licence, and call the insurer to check it.

The risk with the "your insurer will pay" pitch is plain in the Insurance Council's releases. Insurers pay only for approved work covered by the policy. An owner who signs a repair contract on the spot on the strength of that promise can end up owing a commission or an inflated bill that the policy does not cover. The Insurance Council's advice to anyone who has been approached by, or has signed with, a disaster chaser is to ask their insurer for guidance.

Timing matters too. The Insurance Council urges owners to lodge a claim even before they know the full extent of the damage. The QBCC recommends photographing damaged items before they are moved or thrown out, for insurance purposes, and reading the policy, or asking the insurer, to understand what it covers. Where a complaint about an insurer cannot be resolved, the QBCC's recovery guidance points to the Insurance Council of Australia and to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority. For uninsured owners, it notes that state financial assistance may be available, subject to income and asset tests.

The knock on the door is not the problem. A demand for money before anyone has checked the licence, the insurer or the paperwork is.

After a storm: an order that protects the claim

The rules above fit into a simple sequence. None of it replaces the instructions of emergency services, and an owner's own policy and circumstances will shape the details.

If an agreement has already been signed at the door, the steps still help. The 10 business days give time to check the trader, talk to the insurer and cancel in writing if needed, provided no disaster declaration has removed that period for the work concerned.

Where to report a trader

Reporting helps the next street as much as the owner. The Office of Fair Trading takes complaints about door-to-door salespeople who break the rules and reports of travelling traders, and it publishes a list of businesses and traders to avoid. The QBCC asks owners to report suspicious behaviour by contractors, and to report fraud to the Queensland Police Service. The Insurance Council also encourages owners to report suspicious activity to government authorities or police.

The QBCC does act on what it finds. In the 2025-26 financial year it brought 52 prosecutions in magistrates' courts and secured convictions against 37 individuals and companies, with fines totalling more than $380,000 and compensation orders of more than $157,000. The offences included unlicensed building work, taking excessive deposits, working without a compliant contract, and improper use of a licence number by someone pretending to be a licensee. Over the same year its compliance officers checked the licences of 1,412 people at 545 building sites, and found 17 doing unlicensed work.

Those categories line up closely with the tactics disaster chasers rely on. A trader who will not show a licence, wants more than the lawful deposit, or prefers a handshake to a written contract is not only a risk to one owner's repair budget. Under Queensland law, that conduct can be an offence, and the agencies above are the ones that deal with it.

Kooky, from Shaka

Kooky edits Queensland Estate and builds Shaka, the payment router he made for Queensland property professionals. One payment comes in, and every agent, agency and party in the deal receives their signed share on closing date.

About Kooky and Shaka →