Motor vehicle repair business licence

If you are registered or licensed as a motor vehicle repair business elsewhere in Australia or New Zealand, and want to be registered in Western Australia, you may be able to apply for mutual recognition to get a WA licence or automatic mutual recognition to have your licence recognised in WA.

The online licence search can help you find a licensed Motor vehicle repairer business.

How to use the online licence search

Search by number: You can check if a licence number is still valid. Type the number into the field on the opening screen.

Search by type of licence: You can look for licensed people in your neighbourhood. Click on ‘Type’. Start typing in the licence type in the box eg. debt collector. Then type in either a name or location.

Why did the State Government introduce licensing for motor vehicle repair businesses?

The motor vehicle repair industry, through its representative organisations the Motor Trade Association of Western Australia; the Institute of Automotive Mechanical Engineers; and the Society of Automotive Engineers, lobbied the State Government over many years for the introduction of licensing laws for motor vehicle repairers.

These organisations believed that the licensing of repairers would improve standards and drastically reduce the level of unqualified backyard repairs, and that this was especially important with the introduction of technology that requires specific servicing standards and specialist equipment.

Successive State Governments and consumer organisations, such as the Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia, supported this proposal and took the view that a repairers licensing system would improve levels of consumer protection.

Do I need a motor vehicle repair business licence?

Generally, if you run your own motor vehicle repair business, including subcontracting, you are required to hold a motor vehicle repair business licence; however, there are some exceptions.

How do I qualify to be granted a repair business licence?

There are several requirements you must meet to qualify for a repair business licence. These include:

• being fit and proper and a person of good character
• having premises (including any mobile premises) suitable for the carrying out of repair work
• having sufficient resources to carry on the business, including tools and equipment

Does my motor vehicle repair business licence expire?

Yes. A business licence is issued for three years. If you intend to continue to operate as a repair business you must apply for a renewal of the licence no later than 28 days before the day it expires.

If I am a certified repairer, why does my business have to be licensed?

Having another level of licensing clearly separates the business owners’ responsibilities from those of a repairer. Under the law, not everyone who actually does repairs has to hold a certificate. Those without a certificate need to be supervised by a certificate holder but, if a problem occurs, the business owner is ultimately accountable. For instance, the business owner must ensure that the business has proper supervision in place and complies with consumer protection and other relevant laws.

Is this another tax on business?

The licensing fees are not a tax because they do not pay for anything other than the cost of the licensing system. Fees represent a portion of the cost of processing applications and employing compliance and dispute resolution staff, who can provide advice to traders and consumers on matters relating to motor vehicle repairs.

I’m a small business. Do I have to pay as much as larger businesses?

The licensing fee paid by each repair business is based on grouping industry participants into six categories according to the size of the businesses so smaller businesses pay lower licensing fees. Bigger businesses will generally use more of the State Government’s resources than smaller businesses, as they have more licensing information to process, more compliance monitoring and potentially provide advice to a larger client base.

The fee structure is considered to be equitable for both small and large repair businesses, as the fee for administering the licence of an individual business is directly related to the number of repairers employed by the business.

What do I get for my licence fee?

You will primarily get access to general advice services from Consumer Protection staff, with whom you will be able to discuss technical matters and other aspects of business, such as dealing with customer disputes.

You will also get protection from unlicensed repairers who unfairly compete for your customers. You are able to report unlicensed activity to Consumer Protection and the penalty for unlicensed repair work is a fine of up to $50,000, and an additional daily penalty of $1,000.

The legislation has created a compensation fund to assist customers where a repairer has died, disappeared or become insolvent, and a research fund to assist the department in developing industry education and related matters for the repair industry

Do my employees need to hold motor vehicle repairer’s certificates?

As a business owner, you must adhere to the supervision ratio of one as to three. This means that you must have at least one certified repairer (for each class of repair work) for every three uncertified repairers at each of your premises (excluding apprentices).