A barrier is only as good as what stands next to it. An air conditioning unit, a pool pump, a retaining wall, a stack of pavers, a pot plant, a bench, a tree — anything a child could use to get over the fence makes the fence non-compliant, regardless of how well the fence itself is built.
This is the most common failure, and it is the one most often introduced after the inspection rather than before it. A barrier that complied on the day can stop complying the week the furniture arrives.
A gate has to self-close and self-latch from every position it can be opened to, and it has to do it without being pushed. A gate that needs a helping hand to shut is a gate that does not comply.
Hinges and latches wear. A gate that passed two years ago is worth testing before anybody asks you to produce a certificate.
Where a boundary fence forms part of the barrier, it has to perform as a barrier — its height, its construction and what sits against it on both sides all matter.
Where a wall of the house forms part of the barrier, the doors and windows in that wall have to comply too. A window that opens into the pool area is a gap in the barrier.
The barrier has to be in place and compliant before the pool holds water. This is not a formality and it is not something to catch up on at the end — it is the single most common sequencing failure on a pool project.
A swimming pool has to be registered on the State swimming pool register. A certificate of compliance for the barrier is what a sale or a lease will ask for, and it is issued after an inspection that the barrier passes.
Getting the barrier right before the inspection is far cheaper than rectifying it after one. If you are not sure, ask us before the fence goes up rather than after.
Send us the property address and whatever plans exist and we will tell you where you stand — the pathway, what is still needed, and what it will cost. Or call (02) 8772 4022 and we will talk it through.
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