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Plumbing insurance requirements

As specified in the Building Act 1993, all licensed plumbers must provide evidence to the VBA that they hold the relevant insurance before the VBA will issue or renew a plumbing licence.

It is an offence to work as a licensed plumber without insurance cover in the required areas. We recommend that you learn about your insurance needs and seek independent advice, as the VBA doesn’t provide insurance advice.

Required insurance

The required insurance is a minimum level of insurance that was prescribed by the Victorian Government in two separate Ministerial Orders signed on 20 June 2002:

  1. Licensed Plumbers General Insurance Order, which prescribes the minimum insurance required by all licensed persons (except those licensed in Type B Gasfitting)
  2. Licensed Plumbers (Type B Gasfitting work) Insurance Order, which prescribes the minimum insurance required by all persons who are licensed in Type B gasfitting.

You may choose to take a greater level of insurance than prescribed in the Ministerial Orders listed above.

If you are seeking to be licensed in Type B gasfitting and any other class of plumbing, you must have insurance that complies with both Ministerial Orders.

Evidence of insurance

Before we can issue a plumbing licence, you must provide a Certificate of Currency (not offers of insurance or other insurance documents) that:

  1. Includes the full name of the insured plumber seeking to be licensed (i.e. does not only provide a company name) This must be the practitioners legal name not an abbreviation of their name
  2. Specifies the name of the insurer, the policy number and the period of currency for the insurance (please note that plumbing licences can only be issued for the insured period)
  3. Includes the notation:
    "This insurance complies with all of the requirements of the Ministerial Order, Licensed Plumbers General Insurance Order, dated 20th June 2002",

    or, in relation to Type B gasfitting,
    "This insurance complies with all of the requirements of the Ministerial Order, Licensed Plumbers (Type B Gasfitting work) Insurance Order, dated 20th June 2002".

For the protection of plumbers and the public, licensed plumbers must carry adequate insurance protection. This will not only protect the public, but also your assets as a licensed plumber.