Buying a House With A Pool or Spa?
Are You Doing Due Diligence Before Buying a House with A Pool or Spa?
New Regulations For Pools and Spas in Victoria
The new pool and spa registration and inspection requirements are now in force by the Victorian state government, this is applicable to new and existing (old) pools and spas.
On 1 December 2019, new laws to improve spa and swimming pool safety came into effect. They introduce new registration, inspection and certification requirements for property owners.
Swimming pool and spa owners now have a legal obligation to ensure that the spa or pool barrier or fence system is compliant with the relevant Australian Standard. The owner is responsible for continuing to maintain the effective operation of swimming pool and spa safety barriers.
For Prospective Pool or Spa Owners:
If you are going to buy a house with a swimming pool or spa you will face the following procedures that need to be completed, failure to do so will lead to hefty fines.
As a pool or spa owner you need to complete the following:
- Register your pool with your local council by 1 November 2020
- Organise an inspection of your pool barrier by a registered swimming pool inspector
- Rectify any issues identified by your pool inspection
- Submit a certificate of compliance to your council by the due date
Buyer Beware!
At Inspect East Building Inspections, we inspect a lot of homes being sold with pools or spas, and regularly hear bold comments from the home owner and real estate like:
“The pool is compliant as it is registered!”
When we ask the owner to produce the compliance certificate we are confronted by defensive behaviour. The vendor and real estate agent are often not aware that we are also Registered Pool inspectors and we are well aware of the compliance and obligations of pool owners.
The registration of the pool is only the first step (Item 1 of the above list) . The cost to bring a pool up to a standard where a compliance certificate can be produced is often a costly and time consuming exercise. In my opinion, many vendors are motivated to sell their properties simply because they want to pass on their issues and cost implications to an often ill informed purchaser.
These are key warning signs of Buyer Beware Market!!
Make sure you get a pre-purchase pool/spa barrier compliance inspection before you commit to purchase your property.
The cost involved in rectifying a barrier system can often be quite expensive and difficult to fix. Some of the items that need to be addressed can be:
- House doors and windows leading to pool or spa enclosures,
- Climbable objects adjacent to the barrier system (quite often on the neighbouring properties),
- Gates that need replacement, and
- Barriers of fences that need to be replaced.
See the photos below showing some of the cases we have been presented with:
If you're aware of any faults or defects with your pool barrier (such as above), get in touch with us to book a compliance inspection.
