Who to hire when you move house in Sydney: the complete tradesperson checklist

It's the Thursday before your Saturday move. You've got the removalists booked, the kids' school transfer sorted, and forty-seven browser tabs open — and somewhere in there is a half-finished list of tradies you meant to call two weeks ago.

By the end of this article you'll know exactly who to hire when moving house in Sydney, in what order, and which jobs are legally off-limits for a handyman.

The trades you need before you move in

Move-in week is the best time to do this work. The house is empty, access is easy, and you haven't unpacked the good furniture yet. Prioritise these five.

1. Electrician — safety switches and switchboard check

This is the first call to make. NSW Fair Trading requires that safety switches (RCDs) protect all power and lighting circuits in residential properties. In practice, a lot of Sydney homes — particularly Federation terraces, 1970s brick veneneers, and anything that hasn't been rewired in fifteen years — don't have full RCD coverage.

A licensed electrician will test every circuit, identify any that are unprotected, and install RCDs where needed. Budget about $300 to $500 for a full switchboard audit and any minor remediation. If the board needs replacing, that's a different conversation — call it $1,800 to $2,800 depending on the size of the home and whether you're going single or three-phase.

Don't skip this. We had a situation in Marrickville last August — post-war brick semi, the previous owner had wired a new circuit to the back studio and bypassed the safety switch entirely. The new owners had no idea for the first three weeks. Nobody got hurt, but it was luck.

If you've ever had a circuit trip unexpectedly in a new home, read our breakdown on why power keeps tripping — it covers what the causes usually are and when to stop resetting the breaker yourself.

2. Plumber — taps, hot water, and drainage

Run every tap. Check under every sink. Flush every toilet. If anything looks slow, drips, or smells wrong, book a plumber before the furniture goes in.

Hot water systems are the main thing to verify. Sydney's hard water — particularly in the Inner West and Western Suburbs — accelerates scale build-up in storage systems. If the hot water system is more than eight years old and you don't have a service record, a licensed plumber should inspect it. Replacing a storage system runs $1,200 to $2,200 installed, depending on whether you're going gas or electric and the size of the tank.

In NSW, any plumbing connected to the water supply or drainage must be done by a licensed plumber. That includes installing a dishwasher, fixing a running toilet, and replacing a showerhead that involves re-taping threads. You can legally replace a tap washer yourself. That's about it.

3. Locksmith — rekey or replace

The previous owners had keys. The real estate agent had keys. The tradies who came through during the sale campaign had keys. Rekeying costs less than $280 for most three-bedroom homes and takes under an hour. It's not optional.

If the locks are old or cheap, consider replacing them rather than rekeying — a decent Lockwood or Gainsborough deadbolt runs $120 to $180 per door for the hardware alone, plus labour. A licensed locksmith can advise whether your existing cylinders are worth keeping.

4. Pest inspector

If you didn't get a combined building-and-pest inspection before settlement, book a standalone pest inspection before you move furniture in. Sydney's climate — warm, humid summers, particularly in the Northern Beaches, Hills District, and Inner West — is ideal for termite activity. A thorough inspection runs about $250 to $400 and takes two to three hours for a standard house.

If termites are found, treatment costs vary enormously depending on the species and extent of activity. Honestly nobody quotes this consistently — we've seen $1,800 and we've seen $6,500 for what looked like a similar job on paper. Get three quotes and ask each inspector to specify the treatment method and the warranty period.

5. Cleaner — deep clean before unpacking

Book a professional deep clean after the pest inspection and before the removalists arrive with your furniture. This is especially important if the previous owners had pets. A deep clean for a four-bedroom home in Sydney runs $400 to $650 depending on condition and the company. Carpet steam cleaning is separate — add $200 to $350 for a typical three-bedroom footprint.

The trades you need when moving out

If you're vacating a home you own, the list is shorter but the stakes are higher — you're either preparing for sale or handing a property back to a tenant.

Handyman — minor repairs

Wall patching, door adjustments, broken blinds, loose handles, cracked tiles. A good handyman can knock through most of this in a half-day. Rates in Sydney run $80 to $120 per hour depending on the suburb and the tradesperson's experience. Be specific when you book — "minor repairs before sale" will get you a better quote than a vague call.

One thing worth knowing: handymen in NSW cannot legally do electrical, plumbing, gas, or structural work, regardless of how confident they sound. If a handyman offers to "just quickly fix" a dripping tap or swap a power point, decline.

Bond cleaner (rental vacate only)

If you're leaving a rental, use a bond cleaner — not a general cleaner. Bond cleans are end-of-tenancy cleans that follow a specific checklist aligned with what property managers inspect against. Most reputable bond cleaners in Sydney offer a re-clean guarantee: if the agent flags something, they'll come back. Prices run $350 to $600 for a standard apartment, $500 to $900 for a house, depending on size and condition.

Licensed trades for any outstanding repairs

If there are outstanding electrical or plumbing defects — a leaking pipe under the sink, a light fitting that's been flickering, an exhaust fan that stopped working — get these done by licensed trades before vacating. Leaving them creates liability and, in a rental, will come out of your bond.

Which trades must be licensed in NSW — and which don't need to be

This is where a lot of people get caught out.

Must be licensed:

• Electricians (any work on fixed wiring, switchboards, or hardwired appliances)
• Plumbers (any work on water supply, drainage, or gas)
• Gas fitters (separate licence from plumbing in some cases — check via NSW Fair Trading)
• Builders (structural work, extensions, renovations above a certain value)

No licence required, but check their insurance:

• Handymen (non-structural, non-electrical, non-plumbing repairs)
• Cleaners
• Pest inspectors (though look for a member of the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association)
• Locksmiths (no statutory licence in NSW, but use a Master Locksmiths Association member)

The cheapest quote is almost always the most expensive job. An unlicensed person doing electrical or plumbing work voids your home insurance and creates personal liability if something goes wrong. It's not worth it.

The order matters more than people think

Here's the sequence that works:

1. Pest inspection (empty house, full access, nothing in the way)
2. Electrician (switchboard, RCDs, any wiring issues)
3. Plumber (taps, hot water, drainage)
4. Locksmith (rekey after all trades have finished)
5. Deep clean (after all trades, before furniture arrives)
6. Removalists

The locksmith goes last among the trades for an obvious reason. The cleaner goes after all trades for an equally obvious one.

Most people do this backwards — they clean first, then have three tradies traipse through and leave boot marks on the freshly mopped floors. Don't do it backwards.

What looks DIY-able but legally isn't

A few jobs that homeowners regularly attempt themselves in NSW that carry real risk:

Installing a new power point or light fitting. Looks straightforward. Legally requires a licensed electrician. Fine from NSW Fair Trading is up to $22,000 for unlicensed electrical work.

Connecting a dishwasher to the water supply. The push-fit connection itself is simple. The moment you're touching the water supply line under the sink, you're in licensed plumbing territory in NSW.

Replacing a hot water system. Involves gas or electrical connections. Both require licensed trades. Full stop.

Adding a garden tap. Tapping into an existing water line requires a licensed plumber. The garden hose fitting on the end doesn't change that.

Why this is enforceable in NSW and not always in other states is a longer story — the short version is that the Home Building Act 1989 and the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011 set the framework, and they're reasonably well enforced here compared to some other jurisdictions.

This article is general guidance only. Any electrical or gas work in NSW must be performed by a licensed tradesperson — see NSW Fair Trading for licence verification.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a licensed electrician to check my switchboard when moving house in Sydney?

Yes. Any work on your switchboard, including safety-switch testing and installation, must be carried out by a licensed electrician in NSW. A general handyman cannot legally touch it. You can verify a tradesperson's electrical licence through NSW Fair Trading before booking.

How much does it cost to rekey a house in Sydney?

Rekeying a standard three-bedroom Sydney home typically runs around $180 to $280 plus GST, depending on the number of cylinders and the locksmith's call-out fee. Full lock replacement costs more — budget around $120 to $180 per lock for mid-range hardware. Always use a licensed locksmith for new homes.

Do I need a pest inspection when moving into a new home in Sydney?

It's strongly advisable, especially in older suburbs or homes with timber floors and framing. A combined building and pest inspection before settlement is standard, but a standalone pest inspection at move-in is worth doing if you didn't get one — termite activity can develop quickly in Sydney's climate.

What trades do I need when moving out of a rental in Sydney?

For a rental vacate in Sydney, you'll typically need a bond cleaner, a carpet cleaner (if carpeted), a pest controller for flea treatment if you had pets, and a handyman for any minor repairs like wall patching or blind replacement. Electrical and plumbing repairs must go to licensed trades.

Can I do my own plumbing when moving house in NSW?

Not for most work. In NSW, any plumbing that connects to the water supply or drainage system must be done by a licensed plumber. That includes fixing dripping taps, replacing hot water systems, and installing dishwashers. You can legally replace a tap washer yourself, but anything beyond that carries real risk.

If managing six separate tradie bookings in the middle of a move sounds like a part-time job — that's because it is. Wenest coordinates the whole sequence for our members, from the pest inspector to the locksmith, in the right order, with licensed trades we've already vetted. See how it works.