Maintenance persons, also called handypersons are responsible for keeping buildings, facilities, and equipment in good repair.

They often do a wide range of repairs and occasionally will construct or assemble items.

Maintenance persons can be qualified or unqualified.

Award coverage for maintenance persons depends on:

• the industry or industries their employer operates in
• the specific duties and qualifications of the employee.

Industry award coverage

An industry award covers maintenance persons if:

• their employer operates in the industry defined in the award
• there’s a classification which matches the employee’s duties and qualifications.

For example, a maintenance person may be covered by one of the following industry awards:

• Aged Care Award
• Amusement Award
• Cleaning Award
• Educational Services (Schools) General Staff Award
• Gardening and Landscaping Award
• Health Services Award
• Hospitality Award
• Registered Clubs Award
• Restaurant Award
• Textile and Clothing Award

To work out whether another industry award covers you, you may wish to contact us on your own situation.

Building and Construction Award

Most maintenance work involves smaller jobs that wouldn't be considered construction or renovation work.

However, maintenance persons engaged in construction or renovation work can be covered by the Building and Construction Award if:

• they work for an employer engaged in the on-site building, civil and engineering construction industry
• they work on a construction site
• there are classifications that cover the work that they are doing.

No industry award coverage

When there’s no industry award covering the employer of a maintenance person, the employee might be:

• covered by the Miscellaneous Award, or
• award free.

Miscellaneous Award

The Miscellaneous Award can cover a maintenance person if they’re not:

• covered by an industry award
• a managerial employee.

An employee may be considered a managerial employee due to the seniority of their role, for example if they are responsible for managing a handyperson business.

Employees will be classified based on their duties and qualifications.

Example

Lillian is employed as a home handyperson by a property maintenance company.  She has a Certificate III in Carpentry.

Lillian does odd jobs for customers at their private homes. The type of work she does includes fixing broken carpentry, fixing small holes in plaster walls, changing light bulbs, hanging shelves and mowing lawns.

The Building Award doesn’t cover Lillian because:

• her employer in not in the onsite building, civil and engineering construction industry
• Lillian isn’t doing building work on a building site.

Lillian is covered by the Miscellaneous Award. She’s classified as a level 3, because she has a trade qualification.

Award free

Maintenance persons who aren’t covered by an industry award or the Miscellaneous Award are award free.

They’re entitled to the national minimum wage and the National Employment Standards.