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Selling a Trades Business in Australia

Trades businesses are among the most in-demand SMEs in Australia. Most sell for 2× to 4.5× EBITDA, typically landing between $200,000 and $1 million, and they move faster than almost any other sector, usually 60 to 90 days from listing to offer.

If you own a plumbing, electrical, HVAC or pest control business, this page covers what yours is likely worth, what buyers will scrutinise, and what tends to move the number up or down.

Typical multiple
2× - 4.5×
Typical sale price
$200k–$1m
Time to sell
60–90 days
Buyer demand
Very High

What plumbing, electrical, HVAC, pest control and similar businesses sell for

The headline range is 2× - 4.5× EBITDA, but where you land inside it depends heavily on the size of the business. Larger businesses attract higher multiples, because buyers see less risk and more management depth.

Annual EBITDATypical multiple
Under $100k0.8× – 1.8×
$100k – $250k1.2× – 2.4×
$250k – $500k1.6× – 3×
$500k – $1M2.2× – 4×
$1M – $2.5M3× – 5×
$2.5M – $5M3.8× – 6.5×
$5M – $10M5× – 8×
$10M+6× – 10×

A plumbing business doing $300,000 EBITDA is a different proposition to one doing $1.5 million. It is not simply five times bigger, it sits in a genuinely different multiple band. This is the single thing owners most often underestimate.

How long it takes to sell

Sixty to ninety days is fast. Manufacturing businesses average 120–240 days and childcare centres similar. Trades move quickly because the buyer pool is deep: other trade businesses acquiring for growth, licenced tradespeople stepping up to ownership, and increasingly private equity rolling up multiple operators across a region. Add three to six months of preparation ahead of that if your financials are not already clean.

The five things buyers pay for

Licenced staff & subcontractors

This is the first question a buyer asks. A business where the owner holds the only licence is a materially harder sale than one with licenced employees who intend to stay on. Subcontractor arrangements are scrutinised too. Buyers want to know whether the people doing the work are genuinely contractors or effectively employees.

Recurring commercial clients

Maintenance contracts with strata managers, facility managers or commercial landlords are worth far more than the same revenue earned one job at a time. Contracted, repeatable revenue is the strongest single lever on your multiple, and the difference between the bottom and the top of the 2×–4.5× range is usually found here.

Equipment & vehicle value

Vehicles, plant and tooling form a real asset base underneath the sale price. Buyers will want a current asset register with ages, condition and any finance still owing against them. Well-maintained, recently replaced fleet supports the price; ageing vehicles become a negotiating point.

Online reputation & reviews

For trades specifically, Google reviews function as the marketing asset. A long history of strong reviews attached to the business name transfers to a buyer. Reviews attached to your personal name do not, and neither does a referral network that lives only in your phone.

Geographic territory

A defined, defensible service area with established referral relationships is worth more than the same revenue scattered thinly across a metro area. Buyers are assessing how efficiently the work can be run and whether the territory can absorb more volume without more overhead.

Licences and transfer

In Australia, trade licences are generally held by individuals rather than businesses. A buyer cannot simply purchase your company and inherit your plumbing or electrical licence.

That means a buyer must either hold the relevant licence themselves or employ someone who does as nominated supervisor. It narrows the buyer pool, and it is precisely why businesses with licenced employees already on staff sell faster and for more. The buyer does not need to solve that problem before they can trade.

Requirements differ by state, administered by bodies such as the VBA in Victoria, NSW Fair Trading and the QBCC in Queensland. It is worth confirming your own licensing position early, because it shapes who can realistically buy you.

What buyers will ask for

  • Three years of accountant-prepared financials. Cash-based or informal records will cost you a discount, or end the deal outright.
  • Customer concentration. If one commercial client is more than 40% of revenue, buyers treat that as a serious risk. Under 20% is where you want to be.
  • Owner dependency. Can the business run without you for a month? If every quote and every key relationship goes through you, the buyer is purchasing a job rather than a business.
  • Team stability. Licenced staff intending to stay after the sale is a major value driver, and buyers will ask them directly.
  • Documented processes. Job workflows, quoting, safety and compliance, written down rather than held in your head.

Common questions

Can I sell if I'm the only licenced person?
Yes, but it narrows your buyer pool to licence holders and usually means a longer handover. Bringing a licenced employee in ahead of a sale materially improves both price and speed.
Do my vehicles and tools count on top of the sale price?
Usually they sit inside it rather than on top. How that is structured is negotiable and worth settling early, particularly where finance is still owing.
Should I sell before or after winning a big contract?
After, and once it has had time to show in the numbers. A signed maintenance contract with trading history behind it is worth considerably more than one just won.
What if I want to stay on for a while?
Common in trades and often welcomed. A three to twelve month handover, sometimes with a small earn-out, reassures buyers and can lift the price.
Find out what your business is worthFree valuation tool. Five questions, indicative range.Talk to a broker confidentiallyA 30-minute strategy call. No obligation.

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Last updated September 2026