Drowning is a leading cause of preventable death in children under 5 years of age. In 2012, the Swimming Pools Act 1992 was amended to improve the safety of children around swimming pools in NSW. The changes include:
- swimming pool owners must register their swimming pool or spa pool on the NSW Swimming Pool Register
- accredited certifiers registered with the Building Professionals Board and local councils can carry out inspections of swimming pools
- from 29 April 2016 and unless exempted, a copy of the valid certificate of compliance or non-compliance or relevant occupation certificate (as the case may be) must be attached to the sale contract for any property with a swimming pool or spa pool to be sold and, to rent a property with a swimming pool or spa pool, a copy of the valid compliance certificate or relevant occupation certificate (as the case may be) must be given to the tenant at the time of entering into the residential tenancy agreement.
As an agent it is vital that you understand how the swimming pool laws affect the properties that you list, sell, lease and manage. As your professional association we have developed this topic page to give you a one-stop shop to find all the information, advice and documents you need to ensure that you can comply with the law and continue to provide a valued service to your clients.