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Buying a property with a pool in Queensland

When you buy a property with a pool in Queensland, the seller must give you the completed Form 2 disclosure statement and the prescribed certificates, including a pool safety certificate if applicable, before you sign the contract. If there is no current certificate, you should receive a Form 36 instead, and you then have 90 days after settlement to get a certificate.

Before you sign

  1. Ask for the certificate or Form 36. Since 1 August 2025, Queensland sellers must provide these before the buyer signs (before the fall of the hammer at an auction). Source: Queensland Government, seller disclosure scheme (opens in a new tab). QBCC's sale page still says "before settlement", so ask your conveyancer or solicitor which applies to your contract.
  2. Check the register. Search the property on the QBCC pool register and compare it with the copy you were given. How to check.
  3. Check the date. A certificate lasts 2 years for a non-shared pool and 1 year for a shared pool. If it expires before settlement, ask your conveyancer what that means for your contract.
  4. Look at the pool. A certificate shows the pool met the standard on the day it was checked. Gates wear out and things move against fences, so look at the gates, the latches and what is near the fence.

If there is no certificate

The seller lodges a Form 36 with QBCC and gives you a copy before you sign. For a non-shared pool, you then have 90 days after settlement to get a pool safety certificate. For a shared pool, the pool owner, usually the body corporate, has 90 days. A nonconformity notice during that time doesn't extend it. Form 36 explained.

A Form 36 isn't an exemption. The barrier must still comply with the pool safety standard at all times, and councils can fine owners whose barriers don't.

Find an inspector

After settlement

  1. Check the barrier yourself and fix what needs attention. The main rules.
  2. Get quotes from licensed inspectors. What it costs.
  3. If there is a nonconformity notice, the same inspector must re-inspect within 3 months. What happens next.

This is general information, not legal advice. Ask your conveyancer or solicitor about your contract, and a licensed pool safety inspector about the pool.

Bought with a Form 36?

You have 90 days. Check the barrier now so one inspection is enough.

Start your pool checkFind an inspector

Common questions

What should I get from the seller of a house with a pool?

Since 1 August 2025 the seller must give you the completed Form 2 disclosure statement and the prescribed certificates, including a pool safety certificate if applicable, before you sign the contract. If there is no current certificate, you should receive a copy of a Form 36 instead.

How do I check the seller's pool certificate is current?

Search the property on the QBCC pool register by address or lot and plan. A certificate lasts 2 years for a non-shared pool and 1 year for a shared pool, so also check the date on the copy you were given.

What happens if there is no certificate?

The seller lodges a Form 36 and gives you a copy before you sign. After settlement you have 90 days to get a certificate for a non-shared pool. For a shared pool the pool owner, usually the body corporate, has 90 days.

Does a certificate mean the barrier is in good order today?

Not necessarily. A certificate confirms the pool complied when it was checked, and the owner must keep the barrier meeting the pool safety standard at all times. Only a licensed pool safety inspector can decide whether a pool complies.