Qualified Supervisor Certificate (NSW)

A Qualified Supervisor Certificate (QSC) is an individual credential issued by NSW Fair Trading under the Home Building Act 1989 (NSW). It authorises the holder to supervise residential building work in a specified class (general builder, specialist trade, etc.) but does not authorise the holder to contract directly with an owner for that work. A QSC holder cannot quote, sign a building contract, or carry the home warranty insurance in their own name.

The most common use is at company level: under the Home Building Act, a company licensed to carry out residential building work must nominate at least one QSC holder to act as the supervising practitioner for the company’s jobs. Without a QSC nominee in place the corporate licence cannot be held. The QSC holder need not be a director; they need to be an employee or principal with day-to-day responsibility for the supervised work.

Pathway differences from a contractor licence:

Credential	Authorises	Held by	Insurance
Contractor licence	Contract for and carry out residential building work	Individual sole trader OR a partnership / company	Home warranty insurance (HBCF) in the licensee’s name on every contract over the threshold
Qualified Supervisor Certificate (QSC)	Supervise residential building work (no contracting)	Individual	None directly; the licensed company carries HBCF

QSC holders are common in: company-employed site supervisors, project managers running multiple jobs, owner-builders moving toward licensed contractor status (using a QSC to gain experience before applying for a contractor licence). A QSC also provides a continuing-licensure pathway for trades who want to remain credentialed but no longer want the administrative burden of holding a contractor licence.

Also known as: QSC; nominee supervisor; HBA qualified supervisor.

Category: Licensing.

NSW licensing (residential building)

Related

See also

Related articles