Business Valuations in Victoria
Independent valuations for trade and field-service businesses across Victoria, including regional and rural businesses, delivered remotely.
Valuing trade businesses in Victoria
Green Standard has no offices in Victoria or anywhere else. Every engagement is delivered remotely, through online intake, a secure client portal and phone and video calls, and the fees are the same across Australia. This page covers Victoria as a whole, with a focus on the regulatory frame and regional businesses. For the metropolitan market, see business valuations in Melbourne.
Outside Melbourne, a trade business is often the only licensed provider within a long drive. That brings steady local demand and, for the right business, a loyal customer base, but it also means the owner’s licence, name and relationships often are the business. A valuation asks whether the work would continue if the owner stepped back, and who else in the area holds the licences.
Regional centres such as Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Shepparton, and regions such as Gippsland, the Wimmera and the north-east, have their own mixes of work. Agriculture drives demand for earthmoving, fencing, irrigation, rural plumbing and electrical services, with timing set by the seasons and weather rather than the building cycle. Irrigation and dairying districts create dense rural service work, and a business that depends on a handful of farms or one processor carries a concentration risk.
Bushfire and flood recovery has driven bursts of rebuilding and repair work in some regions. That is real revenue but not maintainable earnings, and it often comes with temporary labour and subcontractor arrangements that will not continue. Coastal and alpine towns add holiday-period peaks, second-home maintenance and rental turnover work, where the questions are how many customers are on a repeat arrangement and how much income falls in a few months.
Regional businesses also face a thinner local labour market and longer travel between jobs. Apprentices and licensed staff can be hard to recruit and keep, and vehicles and plant run up kilometres and hours quickly. We look at staff tenure, the cost of travel time and the condition and replacement cost of the fleet.
What transfers, and what does not
Trade licences are issued by each state and territory. Whether a licence can pass to a buyer affects how much of the business transfers with a sale.
Building and plumbing
Victoria’s Building and Plumbing Commission regulates building practitioners and plumbers. It took over the functions of the Victorian Building Authority on 1 July 2025. Registrations are held by individuals and companies, so we ask which people hold which registrations and what happens if they leave.
Electrical and gas
Energy Safe Victoria licenses electrical workers and oversees electrical and gas safety. Electrical work is licensed separately from building and plumbing work, so a business doing several kinds needs to show who holds what.
Domestic building disputes and insurance
The Building and Plumbing Commission also brings dispute resolution and domestic building insurance functions together with registration. For a residential builder or a trade working directly for owners, we ask about open disputes, claims and defect history.
Selling to a buyer from another state
Licences and registrations do not transfer with a business. A buyer from another state would generally need Victorian registration or licences in their own right, and mutual recognition arrangements may assist. That is a matter for the buyer and the regulator, but it affects the pool of likely buyers and so how we assess transferability.
Industries with particular weight in Victoria
Also see
Valuations in Victoria
Do you need to visit our business in regional Victoria?
Not normally. Documents are uploaded through the secure client portal and interviews are held by phone or video. A site visit can be arranged where an engagement needs one, and it is priced in writing before it goes ahead.
Does a valuation cost more for a regional or rural business?
No. The fee depends on the complexity of the engagement, not on where the business is. The Independent Business Valuation is $1,995 + GST, and matters with multiple entities, divisions, significant plant or unusual ownership are quoted from $2,995 + GST, wherever the business operates.
If I sell to an interstate buyer, does my licence transfer with the business?
No. Licences and registrations are held by individuals and companies and do not pass with the business. A buyer would normally need to obtain Victorian ones in their own right, possibly with the help of mutual recognition. We do not advise on licensing, but we consider it when we assess how transferable your earnings are.
Start with a short intake. We confirm the fee and scope in writing.
An Independent Business Valuation is $1,995 + GST, with a draft before the report is finalised. Typical turnaround is 3 to 7 business days once all required information has been received.