Shared pool or dual occupancy: how the pool safety certificate works

When a pool is shared between homes, the certificate rules change. Here is what the QBCC says.

What counts as a shared pool

A shared pool serves more than one home, for example in a duplex, a dual occupancy or a unit complex. The QBCC treats shared pools differently from a pool that belongs to a single house, mainly in how long the certificate lasts and who has to get it.

How long the certificate lasts

Who obtains it

For a shared pool, the QBCC says the pool owner, usually the body corporate, must obtain the certificate and share it with the individual owners. Individual owners are not usually the ones who book the inspection.

Selling or leasing a home that shares a pool

• Selling: give the buyer a copy of the certificate before settlement. If there is no certificate, lodge a Form 36 (notice of no pool safety certificate). The pool owner then has 90 days from settlement to obtain one.
• Leasing: give a copy to the new occupier and the pool owner, and display a copy near the premises entrance or the pool access. If there is none, lodge a Form 36, and the pool owner then has 90 days.

A Form 36 is not an exemption from the pool safety standard, as the QBCC states. See the main guide to the pool safety certificate.

Planning a dual occupancy with a pool

If you are building a duplex or dual occupancy with a shared pool, work out early who owns the pool and who keeps the fence compliant. CKS Projects, duplex and dual occupancy builders in Wollongong, lists duplexes and dual occupancy among its work in NSW, where pool rules differ from Queensland, so check the rules where you are building.

Common questions