The pool, the barrier around it and the certificate at the end. Most of the risk in a pool project sits in the fence, not in the shell.
A swimming pool on a residential lot can usually be approved as complying development, which means we can assess and determine it without a development application to council.
As with any complying development, the site decides. Setbacks to the boundaries, the position relative to the dwelling, the fall of the land, easements across the yard and any covenant on the title all bear on whether the pool can go where you want it.
The pump and filter enclosure is part of the approval too, and it is a common late surprise. It has to be located and enclosed so that it complies, not simply put wherever there is room once the pool is in.
Homeowners putting in a pool, in-ground or above ground, on its own or as part of a larger build.
Pool builders who want the approval and the inspections handled without the owner having to be the go-between.
Owners selling or letting a property who need a certificate of compliance for the barrier.
A check of the site and title, and the assessment of the pool and its barrier against the standards that apply.
Lodgement and determination through the NSW Planning Portal, and the certificate with its conditions.
The inspections through construction, including the barrier, and the final inspection.
The certificate of compliance for the barrier, and the Occupation Certificate where one is required.
Where the pool is approved as complying development, the certificate is issued within 15 days of the lodgement date, provided the application is complete.
A barrier inspection can usually be attended quickly. What takes the time is the rectification when a barrier does not comply — which is why it is worth getting the barrier right before the inspection rather than after it.
A pool barrier has to comply at the point of the final inspection, and the failures are almost always the same handful of things: a gate that does not self-close and self-latch from every position, a latch at the wrong height, a gap under the fence on sloping ground, a climbable object within the non-climbable zone, boundary fence height, and a window or door opening into the pool area without the required protection.
Air conditioning units, pot plants, retaining walls, coping and pool equipment placed near the fence after the inspection are the usual culprits for the climbable zone. It is worth keeping that area clear from the outset rather than moving things on inspection day.
We will tell you what the barrier has to achieve before it is built, which is considerably cheaper than finding out after it is.
As Principal Certifier we carry out the inspections through the build — the excavation and steel before the shell is poured, the barrier once it is up, and the final inspection.
When the pool and its barrier comply, a certificate of compliance is issued. Every swimming pool in New South Wales must also be registered on the state swimming pool register, and a valid certificate of compliance is required before a property with a pool can be sold or let.
If you are selling and the pool was never certified, that is a job we do regularly. Tell us what you have and we will tell you where you stand.
Filling the pool before the barrier is finished. The barrier has to be in place and compliant before the pool holds water, and this is the single most common failure we see.
Climbable objects near the fence. Air conditioning units, pot plants, retaining walls, pool pumps, furniture and trees close to a barrier will fail it, no matter how good the fence itself is.
Gates that do not self-close and self-latch from every position. A gate that needs a push to shut is a gate that does not comply.
Using the house wall as part of the barrier without the right doors and windows. Where a wall forms part of the barrier, the openings in it have to comply too.
Forgetting to register. A swimming pool has to be registered on the State swimming pool register, and a certificate of compliance is what a sale or a lease will ask for.
Yes. A pool needs an approval before it is built. Most residential pools can be approved as complying development by a registered private certifier, without a development application to council.
A property with a swimming pool generally cannot be sold or let without a valid certificate of compliance, and the pool must be registered on the state swimming pool register. If your pool has never been certified, contact us before you list.
Most often a gate that does not self-close and self-latch properly, a gap beneath the fence, or a climbable object within the non-climbable zone — commonly an air conditioning unit, a retaining wall or pool equipment placed near the fence after the fence went up.
Send us the address and the plans and we will come back to you with a fixed fee and what the certification will involve. Or call (02) 8772 4022 and we will talk it through.
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