poolinspection.helloitcreation.com.au
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Frequently Asked Questions
Explore our list of frequently asked questions about pool fence safety inspections. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, feel free to reach out to us directly. Ask our expert for free consultations.
There are laws about swimming pool and spa safety in Victoria, including registration, inspection and certification requirements for property owners. The owner of the property must register the pool with the local council and have the pool safety barrier inspected every 4 years.
Yes and no. It depends on whether the property has a pool or not. If you want to sell a property that has a pool or spa, you must include a valid certificate of compliance in your contract.
At Pool Inspection Melbourne, we provide our clients with the best prices, starting as low as possible for the initial inspection and for any subsequent inspections. After a successful inspection and completion of the necessary rectification work, you will receive a Certificate of Compliance (Form 23), which can be submitted to your local council.
All swimming pools and spas on residential properties with a depth greater than 300mm must be surrounded by a safety barrier (for example, a pool fence).
In Victoria, all registered swimming pools and spas must have their safety barriers inspected and certified every four years. After a successful inspection, a Certificate of Barrier Compliance (Form 23) must be lodged with your local council. Failure to comply may result in penalties and enforcement action.
A Form 23 is a Certificate of Barrier Compliance issued by a registered building inspector or building surveyor. It confirms that your pool or spa safety barrier complies with the applicable Victorian safety standards. The certificate (Form 23) must be lodged with your local council, generally within 30 days of issue.
Pool and spa barriers in Victoria must comply with the applicable safety standard based on when the pool was constructed. Common requirements include:
- A compliant safety barrier surrounding the pool or spa.
- Self-closing and self-latching gates.
- No climbable objects within the Non-Climbable Zone (NCZ).
- Barrier heights and gaps that comply with the relevant Australian Standard.
- Ongoing maintenance to ensure the barrier remains compliant and effective.
The cost of a pool inspection in Melbourne varies depending on the inspector and whether a re-inspection is required. At Pool Inspection Melbourne, pool and spa barrier inspections are available from $170, with a free re-inspection if required. Following a successful inspection, a Form 23 Certificate of Barrier Compliance can be issued for lodgement with council.
Yes. Any swimming pool or spa capable of holding more than 300mm of water must be registered with the local council. This includes in-ground pools, above-ground pools, spas, swim spas and many relocatable pools.
If the barrier does not comply with the relevant standard, the required issues must be rectified before a Form 23 can be issued. If compliance is not achieved, a Form 24 Certificate of Barrier Non-Compliance may be lodged with council.
Longer answers
Some questions need more than a paragraph. These two explain the whole thing:
What is a pool inspection?
What it covers, what happens on the day, how long it takes and what you get at the end.
Why must my pool be inspected?
The Victorian law, your registration duty, the four-yearly cycle, and what happens if you do not.
Pool and spa inspections and compliance
On 1 December 2019, laws to improve swimming pool and spa safety came into effect in Victoria. It is mandatory for owners of land where a swimming pool or spa is located to register their pool or spa with the relevant council. Owners are also required to have their safety barriers inspected and to lodge a certificate of barrier compliance with their council. If a safety barrier is not compliant, it is the owner’s responsibility to make the barrier compliant. The laws apply to swimming pools and spas that are capable of holding more than 300 mm (30 cm) of water. This includes permanent pools, above ground pools, indoor pools, hot tubs, bathing or wading pools, and some relocatable pools. Relocatable pools that do not consist of multiple components and do not require any assembly are not subject to the barrier requirements. An example of such a product is a small inflatable pool that requires no assembly other than inflation.
Barrier inspections
Once your swimming pool or spa has been registered, you need to arrange an inspection of the safety barrier to determine if the barrier is compliant with the applicable barrier standard. An inspection of your pool or spa barrier can only be carried out by a registered building surveyor, a registered building inspector, or a municipal building surveyor. You can search for a registered building practitioner authorised to carry out inspections and certification using the Find a practitioner tool.
Certificate of barrier compliance
If the inspector determines that your safety barrier complies with the applicable barrier standard, they will issue a certificate of barrier compliance. As the owner of the land with the pool or spa, you then need to lodge the certificate with your council within 30 days of the date of issue of the certificate. Contact your council for more information. When the council receives the certificate, they will send you a written notice, which confirms the date the certificate was lodged and the date by which the next certificate is required to be lodged, which is four years after the previous certificate. You will need to pay a fee to the council when you lodge the certificate.
Still Have Questions?
Our pool safety inspectors are here to help. Get in touch and we’ll answer your questions about barrier compliance, Form 23 certificates, and what to expect on inspection day. New to all this? Our pool barrier & fence inspection guide walks through the Victorian compliance checklist step by step.
Ask us directly
Tell us about your pool or spa and one of our VBA-registered inspectors will get back to you.
Prefer to talk? Call 0423 090 211