Running a Gas Fitting Business in Australia
Gas fitting is one of the most regulated trades in Australia for good reason — get it wrong and people die. That regulatory weight creates a compliance documentation burden that most gas fitters are managing with paper forms, manila folders, and optimism. It doesn't have to be that way. And the liability exposure of getting it wrong isn't small.
What a gas fitting business actually looks like
Three things that cost gas fitters money — and how to fix them
Problem 1: Quoting without testing supply pressure first
The client wants a 6-burner commercial cooktop installed in their kitchen renovation. You quote the connection, the regulator, and the flexible. You win the job. You arrive on install day to find the existing meter is a 1/4 psi low-pressure residential meter that can't support the BTU requirements of the new cooktop. Now you have a problem.
You either have to explain to the client that you need to upgrade their meter (which involves contacting their gas retailer, waiting for an appointment, potentially adding $500–$1,000 to the job, and delaying their kitchen installation by two weeks) — or you have to explain that the job can't proceed as quoted. Both conversations are unpleasant. Both are completely avoidable with a 5-minute pressure test during the site inspection.
Rule: Never quote a gas connection without a site inspection that includes a pressure test. If the client won't allow a site visit before quoting, price in a contingency or make the quote conditional on meter adequacy.
Problem 2: Compliance certificates issued on paper and lost
Every gas job requires a Certificate of Compliance. This is not optional — it's a legal requirement in every Australian state and territory. The certificate needs to be issued to the owner and a copy retained by the fitter. If a fault occurs and you can't produce the certificate, your licence is at risk, your insurance claim may be declined, and your personal liability exposure is real.
Paper certificates sit in a manila folder in the van, get rained on, can't be found when needed, and create no trail for warranty or recall purposes. A digital compliance form issued from your phone at job completion, stored in your job management system, and emailed to the client immediately is the only version of this process that actually works.
Problem 3: Clients holding payment "pending council sign-off"
For certain gas works, a council or technical regulator inspection is required. In some states, the regulator inspects before the gas is commissioned. The inspection timeline is completely outside your control — it could take days or weeks depending on the area and workload.
Clients who know an inspection is pending will often say "I'll pay once council signs off." This is not how it works — your payment is due on completion of the gas work, not on completion of the regulatory process. Get this in your quote terms upfront: "Payment due on completion of installation. Council inspection is a separate regulatory step and does not affect payment terms."
Where the money is leaking — stage by stage
| Stage | What You Need | What's Actually Happening |
|---|---|---|
| Quoting | Site inspection with pressure test before quoting. Appliance spec and gas type confirmed. Contingency clause for meter inadequacy. | Phone quote without site visit. Meter surprise on install day. Scope changes, cost disputes, delayed projects. |
| Job Management | Compliance form built into job workflow. Pressure test result documented. Appliance serial number recorded. Photo of installation at completion. | Certificate written on paper form, handed to client, copy in folder in van. No searchable record. No warranty trail. |
| Invoicing | Invoice on completion of installation with CoC attached. Payment terms clearly state payment due on completion, not council sign-off. Clear itemisation of materials and labour. | Invoice sent but client withholds payment pending council inspection. Cash tied up for weeks. Awkward follow-up calls required. |
| Payments | Collect on completion for residential work. Commercial: 14-day terms with deposit for material-heavy jobs. CoC as leverage — issued on payment. | Council delays used as excuse to delay payment. No leverage. Invoice sits unpaid for 3–4 weeks. |
What gas fitters actually need from software
Build your Certificate of Compliance form directly into ServiceM8's job workflow. When the job is marked complete, the compliance section must be filled before the job closes. Certificate is stored against the client and job record permanently, and emailed to the client automatically. No paper, no folder, no "I think it's in the van somewhere."
Compare job management tools →A professional written quote with your payment terms and meter contingency clause. Quotient's online acceptance means the client clicks approve — you have a timestamped record of them agreeing to your terms before work starts. Invaluable when payment disputes arise.
Compare quoting tools →For gas fitting work involving confined spaces, excavation, or working in commercial premises — pre-built SWMS templates covering the high-risk activities specific to gas fitting. Workers sign off on mobile before starting. Stored permanently.
Compare safety tools →Running your gas fitting compliance on paper and hoping nothing goes wrong?
The Strategy Builder identifies the highest-leverage changes for your gas fitting business — including whether your compliance process creates liability exposure.
Build My Free Strategy →Frequently Asked Questions
Gas fitters must issue a Certificate of Compliance (called CoC, Certificate of Work, or similar depending on state) for every gas installation, alteration, or repair. The certificate details the work, appliance type, gas type, and your licence number. A copy must be given to the owner and a copy retained by the fitter. Digital certificates issued from your job management tool and stored in the cloud are the only defensible long-term record system.
Quoting a gas connection without testing supply pressure first is how you end up on install day discovering the existing meter can't support the new appliance. Meter upgrades involve the gas retailer, add cost, and cause significant delays. A 5-minute pressure test during the site inspection prevents the most common and most expensive surprise in gas fitting work.
Include a clause in your quote terms: "Payment due on completion of installation. Council inspection is a separate regulatory process and does not affect payment terms." When agreed upfront, clients rarely push back at invoice time. Your work is complete and compliant — the council inspection validates it, it doesn't condition your right to be paid.