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Housing, property and land

Engaging service providers

On this page:

What is a service provider?
Things to consider
Selecting a service provider
Contractors, tradespeople and maintenance
Selecting a contractor or tradesperson

For an alternative version of a document on this page contact Community Partnerships and Growth.

What is a service provider?

A service provider is an external person or business engaged by a community housing organisation to perform particular functions.

You might engage a service provider to undertake:

administrative tasks
managing rent and rent arrears
financial management for the organisation
garden, property maintenance or tenancy management roles.

Service providers include contractors and tradespeople employed to undertake maintenance work.

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Things to consider

Before engaging a service provider you should consider:

when will the contract start and finish, is it a one-off job or ongoing
how can the contract be reviewed and renewed
how and when a contract can end before the finish date
who in your organisation will be the contact people for the service provider
is insurance needed, who organises and pays for this
is there a conflict of interest (PDF 39KB)
what fees, rates or charges apply, how are these paid and will they increase over time
are there out of hour or overtime rates you may be charged
what warranties or guarantees does the service provider provide
what your options and rights are if something goes wrong.

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Selecting a service provider

When selecting a service provider you should check their:

experience
references
qualifications
licence (if applicable).

You could conduct interviews with a selection of providers. This will give you an opportunity to check their references and discuss what your organisation’s needs are. For more information see Practical advice for selecting a builder, tradesperson or contractor.

If you are having problems finding a service provider contact Community Partnerships and Growth for information or contact other community housing organisations in your area to discuss what contractors or service providers they use.

Once you have selected a service provider you must have a formal written contract between them and your organisation.

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Contractors, tradespeople and maintenance

A service provider can be employed to undertake general or specific maintenance work on either an ongoing basis or as a one-off.

Contractors can undertake general maintenance work that doesn’t require a licence - eg painting.

Tradespeople who are legally required to hold a licence include:

builders
plumbers
electricians
gas-fitters.

Ask the tradesperson for their license number and check that they are legally permitted to carry out the work in South Australia through the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs website. For more information see Practical advice for selecting a builder, tradesperson or contractor.

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Selecting a contractor or tradesperson

You could join with other community housing organisations to engage a contractor for maintenance work across your properties and share the costs between you. This may help you to get better rates and prices by negotiating bulk buying deals.

It is strongly recommended that that you seek at least three quotes from different people or businesses before you engage a tradesperson or contractor, particularly if the work they will be carrying out is expensive.

Free training on selecting a contractor or tradesperson is available from Community Partnerships and Growth.

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