The Quick Version
- There’s no licence required to operate as a removalist in Australia. The industry is unregulated.
- AFRA (the Australian Furniture Removers Association) is the peak industry body. Accreditation involves formal audits, a financial bond, and ongoing compliance with standards for vehicle maintenance, crew training, insurance, and customer service.
- WA Consumer Protection has warned Perth residents about rogue operators causing damage, arriving late, using untrained contractors, and falsely claiming insurance coverage.
- AFRA-accredited removalists carry public liability insurance, are qualified to sell transit insurance, and are bound by a formal dispute resolution process if things go wrong.
- A2B Removals Group is AFRA-accredited and has been for over 25 years, with 15,000+ moves completed from our base in Wangara.
- You can verify any removalist’s AFRA membership at afra.com.au.
You wouldn’t hire an unlicensed electrician to rewire your house. You wouldn’t let an unregistered builder pour your foundations. Yet every day in Australia, people hand their entire household to removalists who hold no accreditation, no verified insurance, and no formal training. The same goes for offices, warehouses, and commercial spaces.
They can do this because the removalist industry in Australia has no licensing requirement. Anyone can buy a truck and start accepting bookings. No audit, no qualifications, and no accountability.
That’s the gap AFRA accreditation fills. If you’re comparing quotes for a move in Perth or interstate, knowing what separates AFRA-accredited removalists from everyone else could save you thousands of dollars and a lot of stress.
An Unregulated Industry With Real Consequences
Most people assume removalists need some kind of licence to operate. They don’t.
WA’s Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety has flagged this issue directly. The department warned Perth consumers about rogue removalist operators after receiving dozens of complaints. The problems reported were serious: belongings damaged in transit, trucks arriving hours late, and untrained contractors handling valuables. Some operators falsely claimed to carry insurance. Others demanded full payment before the job was even finished.
The WA Commissioner for Consumer Protection recommended choosing removalists who are members of the Australian Furniture Removers Association.
For households, a bad experience can mean scratched furniture or shattered heirlooms with no path to compensation. For businesses coordinating office relocations or commercial moves, the impact is worse: damaged IT systems, lost inventory, missed deadlines, and potential safety incidents on-site.
The common thread in almost every complaint? The operator wasn’t accredited by anyone. And without accreditation, there’s nothing stopping them from doing it again to the next customer.
What AFRA Accreditation Actually Proves About a Removalist
AFRA, the Australian Furniture Removers Association, has been the peak industry body for the Australian removals sector for more than 30 years. It currently has over 250 member companies across the country.
When a removalist is AFRA-accredited, it means they’ve been checked by an outside auditor. They’ve committed to maintaining professional moving standards, not just once, but on an ongoing basis. Here’s what that looks like in practice.
Their Vehicles and Equipment Are Inspected and Maintained
AFRA’s Code of Conduct requires that all vehicles are suitable for the work, maintained to legal standards at a minimum, fully enclosed, and kept clean. Equipment must meet workplace health and safety standards. This is audited, not self-reported.
So when an AFRA-accredited truck arrives at your property, it’s been maintained on a documented schedule. That matters a lot more when your furniture is inside it, and the destination is a five-day drive across the Nullarbor.
Their Crew Is Trained and Retrained
AFRA-accredited removalists must maintain ongoing staff training programmes. AFRA provides access to practical training and certified courses through institutions, including TAFE. Every team member employed by an AFRA member must be trained to perform their role safely and professionally.
Whether the crew is carrying a grand piano down a heritage staircase in Dalkeith or loading server racks from a Malaga warehouse, training is what separates careful handling from preventable damage. It’s also what separates experienced crews from operators without formal training or accountability.
Their Contracts and Quotes Are Standardised and Audited
Quotes must be provided on approved stationery. Contracts must be either the AFRA standard contract or one formally approved by the association. Insurance options must be offered to every client before work begins. Members must maintain a physical office and cannot make false or misleading claims in their advertising.
What does that mean for you? No vague verbal estimates, no handshake deals, and no one disappearing after the truck is unloaded.
They Carry Verified Insurance and Are Qualified to Sell It
All AFRA members must carry public liability insurance and maintain cover for fire, flood, collision, and overturning. Most are also qualified under the Financial Services Reform Act to sell transit insurance directly. This matters because it’s actually illegal for unqualified operators to sell financial products like insurance policies.
If an unaccredited removalist claims they’re insured, ask to see the product disclosure statement. If they can’t produce one, they’re likely not legally qualified to make that offer. AFRA-accredited removalists can produce these documents because they’ve done the training and hold the accreditation to back it up.
There’s a Formal Dispute Resolution Process
Each AFRA member lodges a financial bond (a bank guarantee) with the association as a commitment to the Code of Conduct. If a problem arises that can’t be resolved with the removalist directly, you can take it to AFRA’s head office. If that doesn’t work, an independent disputes tribunal makes a ruling, and the member is bound by the decision.
With an unaccredited operator, your only option is a consumer protection complaint. And even then, you’re relying on the operator having a real business address and being willing to respond. That’s a gamble most people don’t want to take with a truck full of their belongings.
How A2B Removals Lives Up to the AFRA Standard
A2B Removals Group has been AFRA-accredited for over 25 years. We’re based in Wangara, we’re Perth-owned and operated, and we’ve completed more than 15,000 residential and commercial moves across Western Australia and interstate.
Our crew brings more than 100 years of combined industry experience. Every team member is police-cleared and extensively trained. Every move is managed by a dedicated Move Manager, your single point of contact from the first phone call to the last box placed in your new home or office.
We carry transit insurance as standard and offer additional cover for high-value items. Our entire fleet is maintained to the documented schedule required by our AFRA accreditation. We use specialised packing materials, including port-a-robes, padded IT capsules, picture boxes, and heavy-duty blankets, because professional moving done properly requires the right equipment, not just a truck.
When people ask us what makes AFRA-accredited removalists different, our answer is simple: accountability. Every part of how we operate, from our vehicles to our crew to our contracts, is held to a standard that someone else checks. You can verify our membership directly through the AFRA member directory. Or read our story to see how 25 years of accredited service show up in the way we work today.
Get Your Free Quote from AFRA-Accredited Removalists in Perth
Planning a move? Whether it’s a family home, an office relocation, or an interstate journey across the Nullarbor, A2B Removals Group has the crew, the fleet, and 25+ years of AFRA-accredited service behind every job.
Request a free quote or call 1300 873 222.
