Anyone can call themselves a glazier. In NSW there is no dedicated glazing licence, which means the burden falls on you as the customer to check that whoever is cutting into your home or business is actually licensed for building work and properly insured. Here is how to do that in 5 minutes.
The five things to check
1. NSW Contractors Licence for building work
Ask for the licence number. Then check it on the free NSW Fair Trading register (onegov.nsw.gov.au, look for “check a licence”). The register will tell you the licensee name, the class of work covered, and whether the licence is current.
Panther Glass has held an NSW Contractors Licence since 1985. Number supplied on any quote request.
2. Public liability insurance, minimum $10 million
Ask for the Certificate of Currency. Dated within the last 12 months, naming the company you are contracting with, and showing at least $10 million cover. For commercial fit-outs the head contractor will usually require $20 million.
3. Written quote naming AS 1288 and AS/NZS 2208
Every serious Penrith glazier’s quote calls out these two standards. AS 1288 for the installation, AS/NZS 2208 for the safety glass. Silence about standards on a quote usually means the glazier is not thinking about sign-off.
4. GST-registered ABN
Look up their ABN on abr.business.gov.au. It is free. Confirm the company name matches the quote, the ABN is active, and GST is registered. This confirms they are operating as a legitimate business, not a cash-in-hand side hustle.
5. References from real Penrith customers
Ask for two or three references from similar recent jobs. Ring them. Ask three questions: did they turn up when they said, did they clean up, and did the paperwork arrive with the invoice.
Red flags to watch for
- Cash-only pricing. Legitimate glaziers take card, EFT and can direct-bill insurers. Cash-only usually means unlicensed or off the books.
- No written quote. A verbal “she will be right, around $300” is not a quote. It is a rough guess that becomes billable at whatever number they land on.
- Refuses to name the glass grade. “Just glass” is not a spec. Toughened, laminated or IGU has to be explicit.
- No physical address. If the business only exists as a phone number and a Facebook page, you have got no recourse if something goes wrong.
- Unusually cheap. If the quote is 30 to 40% below every other quote, they are skipping something. Usually the safety glass or the insurance.
What “unlicensed glass” actually costs you
If you install non-compliant glass in a position where AS 1288 requires safety glass, and someone gets hurt, the liability lands on the property owner. Home insurance policies routinely decline claims involving unlicensed building work. What looked like a $200 saving becomes a $50,000 problem the day something goes wrong.
Our numbers, for the record
- NSW Contractors Licence: active and current, on any quote request.
- Public liability: $20 million, Certificate of Currency on request.
- Standards: AS 1288 install, AS/NZS 2208 glass, on every quote.
- Trading since: 1985, from Jamisontown.
- Google reviews: 5.0 stars, name-verified customers.
Get a licensed quote
Full residential coverage on our home glass replacement page. Commercial work on the commercial glazing page. Quote comparison via the quote-match page.
