What happened, in short
- Victoria’s Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) has written to councils about a potential safety risk affecting nearly 1,400 pool fences across 45 municipalities.
- The warning follows the BPC cancelling the registration of a building inspector (pool safety) and banning him for the statutory maximum of three years, with a $7,000 fine.
- The BPC is concerned about the integrity of inspections he carried out over more than three years. He was also permanently banned as a pool inspector in NSW and did not disclose it when registering in Victoria.
- Councils are reviewing their registers to identify affected properties and make sure the barriers are safe and compliant.
- As summer approaches, the regulator is reminding owners to register pools and spas with their council and keep safety barriers compliant.
Victoria’s building regulator has warned councils about a potential safety risk affecting nearly 1,400 pool fences across 45 municipalities, after it cancelled the registration of a pool safety inspector and banned him from the industry. The Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) says it is concerned about the integrity of the inspections he carried out, and councils have been asked to check which properties he inspected and whether their barriers are safe and compliant.
The warning in numbers
Source: Building and Plumbing Commission
What happened
According to the BPC, it cancelled the registration of a registered building inspector (pool safety) and banned him for the statutory maximum of three years. He was also fined $7,000 and directed not to represent himself as a registered building practitioner, and to provide details of all swimming pool and spa inspections he completed in Victoria. The inspector had been conducting pool barrier inspections for more than three years.
The BPC said the inspector was permanently banned as a pool inspector in NSW, and his registration in Queensland had been cancelled, but he did not disclose this when he applied for registration in Victoria.
BPC Commissioner and CEO Anna Cronin said the ramifications of a non-compliant pool fence “can be catastrophic”, and that pool inspectors are vital to ensuring homeowners have compliant and safe barriers.
What councils and owners are being asked to do
Councils are now reviewing their registers to identify the properties the inspector certified and to make sure those pool barriers are safe and compliant. Owners of affected properties may be contacted by their council. Owners who used a pool inspector in recent years and are unsure whether they are affected can contact their council.
With the warmer months approaching, the BPC also reminded homeowners of their legal obligation to register their pool or spa with their local council and to keep the safety barrier maintained and compliant.
Why it matters
Pool barriers exist to prevent young children getting into the water unsupervised. A barrier certified as compliant when it is not gives owners false confidence. The most common faults are simple and dangerous: a gate that does not self-close and latch, a pot plant or chair that a child can climb, a gap that has opened under a panel as the ground has settled, or a boundary fence with climbable rails on the neighbour’s side.
Common pool barrier faults
- Gates that do not self-close and self-latch from any open position.
- Climbable objects near the barrier: pot plants, furniture, barbecues, trees, retaining walls.
- Gaps under or between panels that have grown as ground settles or panels move.
- Boundary fences forming part of the barrier with climbable rails on the outside.
- Doors or windows from the house opening directly into the pool area where not permitted.
- Damaged, loose or corroded panels, posts and hinges.
Source: Common inspection findings; check the barrier standard and regulations that apply to the pool.
What it means for builders and pool builders
Builders and pool builders who construct pools and barriers should take three lessons from this case.
- Build the barrier right the first time. Barriers must meet the standard and regulations that apply when they are built. Do not rely on the inspection to find problems.
- Use registered, reputable inspectors. Where an inspection or certificate is required, check the inspector’s registration. The case shows that registration checks matter; practitioners banned in one state can try to register in another.
- Hand over clear documentation. Give owners the barrier compliance documentation and a clear explanation of their ongoing responsibilities, especially for gates and keeping the area around the barrier free of climbable objects.
Temporary barriers during construction are just as important. A pool under construction that holds water is a hazard, and it needs temporary fencing that keeps children out until the permanent barrier is complete and compliant.
The gate is the most important part of the fence. A self-closing, self-latching gate that swings away from the pool and latches from any open position does most of the work. Test it at handover, and remind owners to test it regularly.
NSW: similar rules, separate system
NSW has its own pool safety regime. Pools must be registered on the NSW Swimming Pool Register, barriers must comply with the applicable standard and the Swimming Pools Act, and a certificate of compliance or occupation certificate is generally required when a property with a pool is sold or leased. NSW builders and pool builders should apply the same lesson: build to the standard, use properly authorised inspectors, and make sure owners understand their responsibilities.
What owners and builders should do
- 1Check the inspection historyOwners can check with their council whether their barrier certificate is affected.
- 2Walk the barrierLook for the common faults, especially gates and climbable objects.
- 3Get a registered inspectorIf in doubt, have the barrier inspected by a registered pool inspector.
- 4Fix and recordRectify defects promptly and keep the compliance documentation.
Pools on renovation and new home jobs
Many pools are built alongside a new home or a major renovation, and the pool barrier often interacts with the house and the boundary. A house wall can form part of the barrier only if windows and doors in it meet the rules; a boundary fence can form part of the barrier only if it meets the barrier requirements on the pool side and is not climbable from the other side. Landscaping added after the barrier is certified, such as a raised garden bed or built-in seating near the fence, can make a compliant barrier non-compliant.
For builders, the lesson is to coordinate the pool barrier with the house design, the boundary fencing and the landscaping, rather than treating it as the pool builder’s separate job. Where the builder hands over the whole property, the handover pack should include the barrier compliance documentation and a plain explanation of what the owner must not place near the barrier.
Accountability across states
The case also highlights a regulatory gap that governments have been working to close: practitioners who are disciplined in one state moving to another. National registers and information-sharing between regulators are part of the answer. For builders, it is a reminder to check registrations and licences of the people they engage, not just once, and not only in their own state.
Before summer
The regulator’s warning is also a prompt for owners of older pools whose barriers were certified years ago. Barriers deteriorate, gates sag and gardens grow, so a barrier that complied at certification may not comply today.
The timing of the warning matters. Pools are used most from late spring, and that is when young children are most at risk. Owners who have any doubt about their barrier should have it checked before the swimming season starts, and builders with pools under construction should make sure temporary and permanent barriers are in place and compliant before water goes in.
What to watch
- Council reviews of affected properties, and any notices to owners.
- Further BPC action on pool safety inspections as summer approaches.
- Pool barrier compliance campaigns in Victoria and NSW ahead of the swimming season.
Questions builders ask
How many Victorian pool fences are affected?
Nearly 1,400 pool fences across 45 municipalities, according to the Building and Plumbing Commission.
Why are the pool fences being reviewed?
The BPC cancelled the registration of a pool safety inspector and banned him for three years, citing concerns about the integrity of his inspections. Councils are checking the barriers he certified.
What should Victorian pool owners do?
Register the pool or spa with the council, keep the barrier maintained and compliant, and contact the council if unsure whether their barrier was certified by the banned inspector.
What are the most common pool fence faults?
Gates that do not self-close and latch, climbable objects near the barrier, gaps under panels, climbable boundary fences, and damaged panels or hinges.
Does this affect NSW pools?
The warning is about Victorian properties. NSW has its own regime, including the NSW Swimming Pool Register and certificate requirements for sale or lease.
Sources
- BPC issues warning over pool fence safety following inspector ban · Building and Plumbing Commission
- Building Industry Insights, August 2026 · Building and Plumbing Commission
- Pools and pool safety · NSW Government
Published 29 August 2026. General information for builders, not legal, financial or engineering advice for a specific job. Check current requirements with the relevant regulator or standard before relying on them.
