New swimming pool laws postponed for 12 months

A media release from the Office of Local Government indicates that the next stage of the new swimming pool laws will now commence on 29 April 2016, rather than 29 April 2015.  This means that pool owners have a further 12 months before they will be required to have a Certificate of Compliance when selling or leasing their property.

The Minister for Local Government indicated that the extension was necessary due to the high failure rate for initial inspections.  The increased demand for contractors has caused delays in the completion of rectification works.  The extension will also allow time for more inspectors to be appropriately trained and accredited.

Despite the extension, if you are planning to sell or lease your property in the near future you should still arrange an inspection of your pool well in advance of your anticipated sale/lease date.  Anecdotal evidence suggests that it can take up to 4 months to obtain a Certificate of Compliance.

You can view our previous bulletins on this topic here.

Author: Kristie Carlile

Contributing partner: Melissa Potter