Hi GRT,

Sorry for the delay in responding.

This is not my area of experience, however, the tradie is required to be insured against any injury while on the job in your house. I sensible tradie would also be insured against property damage caused by them.

If the tradie refuses to repair, replace or pay for the damage, you have the right to make a claim in NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (“NCAT”) against the tradie. The application forms are available online for you to do this. There are similar Tribunals in all other states.

Did you sign to agree to accept the quote in the first place? There may be a separate tribunal that governs disputes for their trade. I know that I have signed an agreement with my builder a few years ago and the method of dealing with disputes is through NSW Fair Trading or equivalent in your state.

Does anyone else have personal experience?