Stay safe and avoid scams

If you are posting this job

• Mark sprinklers, cables and anything fragile before the helper starts.
• Agree who takes the green waste away. Ask where it will go.

If you are doing this job

• Wear eye and ear protection and sturdy shoes around mowers, whipper-snippers and hedge trimmers.
• Check for hidden cables, pipes and sprinkler heads. Look out for snakes and spiders.
• Don't climb onto roofs or work on gutters from unsafe ladders. Don't use a ladder if it's wet or windy.

If you are posting this job

• For jobs at your home, put valuables, documents and medication away before the helper arrives.
• Tell the helper about products and surfaces to avoid, and about any pets.
• Never share alarm codes or leave keys with someone you've only just met.

If you are doing this job

• Never mix cleaning products. Some produce dangerous fumes.
• Don't take photos of the customer's belongings or home inside without permission.
• Be careful when working alone in someone's home, and tell someone where you are.

Pets can't speak up for themselves, so give helpers everything they need and meet them first. Helpers are independent and aren't checked by Eureka Rockup.

What to include in your task

• The pet's type, breed, age and size
• Behaviour: fears, aggression, escaping, how they react to other dogs, kids or strangers
• Health: medications, allergies, medical conditions, and your vet's name and phone number
• Routine: feeding, walking, toileting, sleeping, and where the pet is allowed to go
• Registration and microchip details, and that vaccinations are up to date
• An emergency contact, and what to do (and who pays) if the pet needs a vet

If you are posting this job

• Arrange a meet and greet with the helper and your pet before the first job.
• Your pet must be registered and microchipped as required in your state or territory. You stay responsible for your pet, including any harm it causes.
• Agree in advance who pays for emergency vet care and what the helper should do in an emergency.
• Leave clear written instructions, a lead and ID tag, and your vet's details. Don't leave out food or medication the helper doesn't know about.
• Ask for updates and photos during the job. Be wary of helpers who won't share any.
• Agree where the pet will be kept. Don't let a pet be taken to another home or location unless you've agreed.

If you are doing this job

• Meet the pet first and say no if you can't safely handle it. Never take on more animals than you can control at once.
• Ask about behaviour, health and medications, and get a vet and emergency contact number.
• Keep dogs on a lead where the law requires it, and know your local council's off-lead rules.
• Never leave a pet in a hot car, and take care in hot weather. Dogs get heat stress quickly.
• Don't change a pet's food or medication unless the owner has told you to.
• If an animal is hurt or lost, contact the owner and a vet straight away. Consider your own public liability insurance.

Asbestos, chemicals, gas bottles, batteries and other hazardous waste can't be posted. Rubbish must go to a licensed tip or recycling site. Illegal dumping is never allowed and can mean heavy fines.

What to include in your task

• What needs to go, roughly how much, and how heavy it is
• Access: stairs, steep driveway, tight gates, parking
• Whether the helper needs a ute, trailer or bins

If you are posting this job

• You can be fined if your rubbish is dumped illegally. Ask where it will be taken and ask for a tip receipt.
• Be wary of unusually cheap quotes. They are sometimes a sign the rubbish will be dumped.
• Never include asbestos, paint, chemicals, gas bottles, batteries, medical waste or anything you can't legally dispose of.
• Keep valuables, documents and anything personal out of the load.

If you are doing this job

• Take rubbish only to a licensed tip or recycling site, and keep the receipt. Never dump it.
• Don't take hazardous waste or anything you suspect contains asbestos.
• Lift safely and don't take loads that are too heavy or too big for your vehicle.
• Secure the load properly. You are responsible for it on the road.

Include what is being moved, how heavy it is and any stairs or lifts. Moving injures people and breaks things, so be honest about the job.

What to include in your task

• A list of the large and heavy items
• Stairs, lifts, narrow doorways and parking at both ends
• Whether a truck, trailer or equipment is needed

If you are posting this job

• Never leave your belongings with someone you don't know, and keep valuables and documents with you.
• Agree who is responsible if something is damaged. Helpers' own insurance may not cover your things.
• Don't pay until your things have arrived and you've checked them.

If you are doing this job

• Lift safely and don't take loads that are too heavy for you. Ask for a second person.
• Agree in advance what happens if something breaks. Take photos of anything fragile first.
• Don't agree to move unknown sealed boxes or items you can't see.

If you are posting this job

• Leave the instructions and all parts with the helper, and check that nothing is missing before they start.

If you are doing this job

• Don't wall-mount heavy furniture to a wall you haven't checked for cables and pipes. Ask the owner first.

Electrical, plumbing, gas fitting and asbestos work needs a licence in Australia. Only post it for, or accept it as, someone who is licensed.

What to include in your task

• What needs fixing or hanging, and where
• What materials or tools are already on hand

If you are posting this job

• Check any licence yourself with your state's licensing body before you agree. We don't check licences.
• Never ask for, or accept, electrical, gas or plumbing work from someone who isn't licensed. It can be dangerous and may void your insurance.
• Check the finished work before you pay.

If you are doing this job

• Don't take on electrical, plumbing, gas or asbestos work unless you hold the licence the job needs.
• Check for cables, pipes and asbestos before drilling or cutting.
• Be honest about what you can do, and leave work you can't do safely.

Small jobs only, such as a room, a wall or a fence. Larger painting jobs may need a licensed painter, and the rules differ by state.

What to include in your task

• Which rooms or surfaces, and roughly how big
• Who supplies paint, brushes and drop sheets
• Anything that needs moving or covering

If you are posting this job

• Agree who buys the paint. Buy it yourself or pay only when you've seen it and the receipt.
• In houses built before the 1990s, old paint can contain lead. Tell helpers if you suspect it, and don't sand it dry.
• Check the finished job before you pay and agree what happens if it needs touching up.

If you are doing this job

• Don't front money for paint. Ask the poster to buy it or pay you the cost first.
• Take care with ladders, and keep jobs to a safe height. Don't work from a roof.
• Don't sand or scrape old paint you suspect has lead or asbestos in it.
• Cover floors and furniture, and ask before moving anything breakable.

Include what you want cleaned and what it's made of. Pressure washing can damage some surfaces, and some roofs and fences contain asbestos and must never be blasted.

What to include in your task

• What surfaces (concrete, timber deck, tiles, fence)
• Roughly how big the area is
• Whether there is an outdoor tap and power

If you are posting this job

• Tell the helper about any asbestos cement sheeting, loose paint or fragile surfaces.
• Check council and water-use restrictions in your area.
• Agree what happens if the washer damages something.

If you are doing this job

• Never pressure wash asbestos cement sheeting or anything that might be asbestos. It releases dangerous fibres.
• Test a small area first, and keep water away from power points and meter boxes.
• Watch for slippery surfaces and wear eye protection. Keep pets and children clear.
• Don't let dirty water run into storm drains.

Never share passwords, banking logins, one-time codes or let someone take remote control of your devices unless you are certain you can trust them. Tech help scams often target older people.

What to include in your task

• What the problem is and which devices or services are involved
• Whether the helper will come to you or help remotely

If you are posting this job

• Stay with your device while someone works on it. Never leave a helper alone with it.
• Never give a helper your passwords, banking logins, myGov details or one-time codes. A real helper doesn't need them. Type them in yourself.
• Don't let anyone install remote access software (such as AnyDesk or TeamViewer) unless you chose them and you're sitting watching.
• Be suspicious of anyone who says your computer is "infected" and asks for payment. Banks and the government never ask you to move money to a "safe account".
• For older people, it's a good idea to have a family member or friend present.
• Pay when the work is done. Never pay by gift card, crypto or wire transfer.

If you are doing this job

• Never ask for, or write down, a customer's passwords, banking logins or one-time codes. Ask them to type in their own.
• Don't access anything the customer hasn't asked you to, and don't take or copy their files or photos.
• Don't use remote access unless the customer agrees and watches.
• TV mounting only: new power points or wiring need a licensed electrician. Check for cables and pipes behind the wall before drilling.

For hairdressing, makeup, nails, brows and lashes. No massage, injectables, tattoos, piercing, microblading or other procedures that break the skin.

What to include in your task

• What service you want and the style you're after
• Where it will happen (your home, theirs, an event)
• Any allergies, skin or health conditions

If you are posting this job

• Tell the helper about allergies and skin conditions. Ask for a patch test before hair colour, lash glue or similar products.
• Check that tools are clean and not shared. Poor hygiene can spread infection.
• Meet in a place you are comfortable. If it's at the helper's home, tell someone where you'll be.
• No procedures that break the skin or use needles: these are regulated in Australia and aren't allowed here.

If you are doing this job

• Use clean tools and products, and clean tools between customers.
• Ask about allergies and skin conditions first, and don't continue if there's a reaction.
• Stay within what you're trained to do. Don't offer injectables, skin penetration or treatments that need registration or a licence.
• Consider your own public liability insurance.

Agree who owns the photos and how they can be used. Get permission before photographing other people, especially children.

What to include in your task

• What you need photographed or filmed, and where
• How many photos or how much footage you expect
• How and when you want them delivered

If you are posting this job

• Agree in writing, in chat, who owns the photos and where they can be used (for example on social media or in advertising).
• Get everyone's permission before you photograph people. Special care is needed with children.
• Be careful about sharing photos of your home's inside, and don't share your address publicly.
• Don't pay for the full job before you've seen sample work.

If you are doing this job

• Agree in advance what you'll deliver, in what format and by when.
• Get permission before photographing people or private property. Real estate shots need the owner's or agent's permission.
• Agree on usage rights. By default you own the photos you take, unless you agree otherwise.
• Be careful with equipment in public and with unknown locations.

If you are posting this job

• Don't pay a large amount up front for an event helper you haven't met.
• Check any equipment or hire items are safe and fit for use.

If you are doing this job

• Be clear about what you'll set up and take down, and when. Be careful with ladders, lighting and electrical leads.