Drowning is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in children under the age of 5 years.
Backyard pools and spas are the location for a high percentage of these tragic deaths and the NSW Government has recently implemented legislation to provide for greater regulation of pools and spas.
Since April of this year all pools and spas must be registered on the State Register and the relevant local council or an accredited certifier must regularly inspect the pools. The legislation also requires a valid certificate of compliance or occupation certificate be attached to a residential tenancy agreement when the property is sold or attached to the sale contract in the case of a residential property sale.
The legislation is a good initiative on the part of the government in seeking to ensure a minimum level of pool safety.
The legislation is targeted at individual residences and does not apply to strata or community lot owners who are leasing or selling their properties, provided that there are two or more lots in the scheme of which their lot is a part.
There will no doubt be a period of adjustment during which time solicitors, conveyancers and residential leasing agents learn the details of the new requirement.
