Architect or building designer: checking registration
Check the right register for an architect or building designer and compare concept, permit, tender and construction-stage design services.
Before commissioning a renovation or new-home design, establish whether you are engaging an architect, a building designer or a business offering several services. Verify the person and registration relevant to that role, then compare the stages you will actually receive. A concept sketch, permit documentation and construction-stage service are different scopes.
Start with the title the provider uses
The NSW Architects Registration Board explains that an individual may use the title "architect" only if they are on the NSW Register of Architects. A business using that description must nominate at least one registered architect responsible for its architectural services; the nominated person must be a director, member, partner or employee of the firm. Ask for that person’s name and verify their registration, rather than expecting the company to appear as an individual architect. The Architects Accreditation Council of Australia describes registration through state and territory boards. Ask for the named professional's registration details and the board for the state in which the service is offered. A design qualification, portfolio or company name is not the same as current architect registration. Use the provider's actual role when checking the evidence.
NSW title protection and professional registration context.
NSW Architects Board: protection of the architect titleThe role of state and territory registration boards.
AACA: registration as an architectFor building designers, check the relevant class
Victoria's Building and Plumbing Commission lists three building-designer classes: architectural, interior and services. Its architectural class description includes building plans and documentation, permit applications and documents used for tendering. Those class descriptions are useful when matching a proposed service to the practitioner's registration. Use the Commission's Find and Check a Practitioner route and ask the provider to explain how its class fits the job. Do not transfer the Victorian category names to another state without checking that state's requirements.
Architectural, interior and services categories and their described work.
Victorian BPC: building designer classesOfficial practitioner-checking route.
Victorian BPC: find and check a practitionerCompare design stages rather than a single drawing price
Request an engagement broken into stages: initial brief and site information; concept options; planning work if required; building-permit documentation; tender documents; and any construction-stage service. Ask which are included and where the appointment ends. List external inputs such as survey, engineering, energy assessment and specialist reports. Ask who engages and pays those consultants, what information they need and how their work is coordinated. A lower design fee may simply stop at an earlier stage.
Worked comparison: the same extension, different deliverables
Hypothetical example. Proposal A includes two concept options and one revision but excludes permit drawings and consultants. Proposal B includes one concept, permit documentation and coordination of an engineer, while the engineer's fee is separate. Ask A for the cost and scope of the next stage. Ask B how many design changes are included before an additional fee applies. Then compare the cost to reach the same decision point. Neither proposal should be treated as a promise that an authority will approve the project.
Resolve responsibility and handover before signing
Write down who is responsible for each stage, the approval points at which work proceeds, the deliverable file formats and what use of the documents the agreement permits. Ask how an unexpected site condition or a changed brief affects timing and fees. Keep the registration record with the engagement and consultant list. If a proposed service falls outside the explanation you receive, clarify it with the relevant professional board before paying for that stage.
Identify when a separate licensed surveyor is needed for property boundaries.
Booking a boundary surveyKeep the design appointment distinct from the licensed construction work.
Licences across a renovationYour quick checklist
Tick these off as you go. This checklist resets when you leave.
Useful starting points
General information to help you ask questions. Check requirements for the particular service and your state or territory.