Pool safety certificate requirements in QLD: when you need one
Pool safety certificate requirements in QLD for sellers, buyers, landlords and body corporates. When you need one, and how long it lasts.
In Queensland, you need a pool safety certificate (Form 23) when you sell, buy or lease a property with a pool, unless a current certificate is already in place. The certificate lasts 2 years for a non-shared pool and 1 year for a shared pool. Only a QBCC licensed pool safety inspector can issue one.
Those are the pool safety certificate requirements in QLD in one paragraph. The detail depends on whether you are selling, buying, leasing or managing a shared pool. This guide covers each one, with every rule taken from the QBCC.
When do you need a pool safety certificate in QLD?
You need a pool safety certificate when a property with a regulated pool is sold, bought or leased, and there is no current certificate. A regulated pool is any pool or spa that can hold 300mm of water or more. That includes spas, above-ground pools and inflatable pools. You can check whether a property already has a current certificate on the QBCC pool register.
Outside a sale or lease, you do not need a certificate. Your pool fence must still comply with the standard at all times. Many owners get one anyway, so they know exactly where their pool stands.
How long is a pool safety certificate valid?
A pool safety certificate is valid for 2 years for a non-shared pool, such as a house or townhouse. It is valid for 1 year for a shared pool, such as an apartment complex, hotel, motel, resort or caravan park. The certificate confirms the pool complied on the day it was inspected. Keeping it compliant after that is the owner’s job.
That last point matters. Gates wear, plants grow and furniture moves. A certificate is a snapshot. Check your gate and the non-climbable zone regularly between certificates.
What does a seller need to do?
If you have a current certificate, give the buyer a copy before settlement. If you do not, you can get one before you list, or give the buyer a notice of no pool safety certificate (Form 36) before the contract is signed. Either way, your pool fence must comply at all times while you own it.
Many sellers certify before listing. It removes a question mark from the sale, and the pool is one less thing to negotiate. Rob usually inspects within 24 hours, and a compliant pool gets its certificate the same day. Read more in our guide to selling a Gold Coast property with a pool.
What happens if you buy without a certificate?
If you buy a property with a non-shared pool and no certificate, you must get one within 90 days of settlement. Any repairs needed to pass are at your cost. If an inspection issues a non-conformity notice (Form 26), it does not extend the 90 days. Plan the inspection early.
A Form 36 in the contract is a signal to look closer. Book a pre-purchase pool inspection before you sign. Knowing the cost of any work before buying could change the purchase price. A building and pest inspection does not cover the pool unless that inspector also holds a QBCC pool safety licence.
What do landlords and property managers need?
For a house or townhouse with a non-shared pool, you cannot sign a new lease unless a pool safety certificate is in effect. For a shared pool, give a copy of the current certificate to the new tenant. If there is no current certificate, lodge a Form 36 and the pool owner has 90 days to get one.
Tenants have duties too. They must keep pool gates closed, never prop a gate open, keep climbable objects away from the fence, and tell the landlord if something breaks. Our guide for renting a Gold Coast property with a pool covers both sides.
Who gets the certificate for a shared pool?
The pool owner gets the certificate for a shared pool. That is usually the body corporate. The certificate lasts 1 year and must be displayed near the main entrance, or at a gate or door into the pool area. The body corporate must also share it with individual owners.
If a unit sells without a current shared-pool certificate, the seller lodges a Form 36. The body corporate then has 90 days after settlement to get a certificate and give the buyer a copy. We inspect shared pools at apartment complexes, hotels, resorts and body corporate properties across the Gold Coast.
Does a new pool need a pool safety certificate?
Not always. If a building certifier has recently signed off your new pool, their final inspection certificate (Form 17) or certificate of occupancy (Form 11) can stand in for a pool safety certificate. The same applies to a new or altered pool fence that needed building approval and was certified by a building certifier.
What does a pool safety certificate cost on the Gold Coast?
A Poolinspec pool safety inspection is from $100 + GST per pool. The QBCC certificate fee (Form 23) is $47.30, with no GST. If your pool needs a re-inspection, it is from $79 + GST, and only if one is needed. We register your pool with the QBCC at no extra cost.
See the full breakdown on our pool inspection prices page.
How do you get a pool safety certificate with Poolinspec?
Book an inspection by phone or online. Rob usually inspects within 24 hours of your call. He checks your pool fence, gates, windows and CPR sign against 100+ safety points, then walks you through what he found. If the pool complies, your certificate is delivered the same day.
If something does not comply, here is what happens:
- You get a Form 26 and a clear report. It shows each fault, with photos, and what will fix it.
- Small faults can often be fixed on the spot. Rob can do minor repairs, such as adjusting a gate or replacing a latch or hinge. Bigger work is quoted upfront.
- Rob re-inspects within 3 months. QBCC rules say the same inspector must re-inspect within 3 months. Re-inspections are from $79 + GST.
- Your certificate is issued. Once the pool complies, it is certified and registered.
Want to check the rules yourself first? Read our plain-English guide to pool fence regulations in QLD, or use the pool safety checklist.
Book your pool safety certificate with Rob
Selling, leasing or buying a Gold Coast property with a pool? Rob spent 20 years designing and building pool fences before he became a QBCC licensed pool safety inspector. He knows exactly what it takes to pass, and he will tell you in plain words.
Book a pool safety inspection or call Rob on 0457 445 197. For the full service, see our pool safety certificates on the Gold Coast.
Need a pool safety certificate?
Rob is usually at your pool within 24 hours, anywhere on the Gold Coast. If it passes, your certificate comes the same day.
Book a Pool Inspection 0457 445 197
