Failed Your Pool Barrier Inspection? Here Is the Way Forward

What happens after a barrier fails

Victorian regulations give inspectors two paths when a barrier doesn’t comply. If it can be made compliant, the inspector can issue a written notice setting out what you must do, a deadline of up to 60 days and the re-inspection date. If the barrier still isn’t compliant at re-inspection but good progress has been made, a further seven days may be allowed.

In some situations, the inspector must issue a certificate of barrier non-compliance (Form 24) straight away. The inspector lodges it with council and gives you a copy. Council will contact you and a fee applies. The issues that trigger it include the following.

• A significant and immediate risk to life
• The barrier can’t be made compliant within 60 days
• A gate or door can be opened by someone unable to reach its release
• A gate or door in the barrier can’t completely close

After that, the municipal building surveyor may issue a barrier improvement notice with a deadline to fix the barrier. Missing deadlines can lead to fines.

Why barriers fail most often

Every property is different, but the same issues come up again and again across Melbourne and Victoria.

• Gates that don’t self-close or latch from every position, often because the closer has lost tension
• Latches that sit too low or aren’t shielded, so a child could reach them from outside
• Gaps under the fence that have grown as soil, mulch or pavers shift
• Garden beds, new paving or decking that reduce the effective barrier height over time
• Furniture, barbecues, pot plants or trees close to the barrier that a child could climb
• Damaged or loose fence panels, posts or fixings

Most of these come down to everyday wear and tear, or changes to the yard over the four years since the last certificate.

Practical advice on every fix

We don’t just hand you a list. We explain each issue, show you exactly where it is and talk through the most cost-effective way to fix it. Often that means adjusting or replacing a gate closer, raising a latch, trimming plants or moving furniture.

Where larger work is needed, such as replacing a section of fence, we explain exactly what the standard requires so your trades quote on the right scope from the start. If the work may need a building permit, we tell you, so you can check with your council or a building surveyor before starting.

Our building and pool construction experience means our advice is grounded in how barriers are actually built, repaired and maintained day to day.

Acting early keeps costs down, because the BPC notes that barriers needing several inspections before they pass will likely cost owners more.

Locking in your re-inspection

Once the work is done, call or email us to book your re-inspection, and make sure it happens before the deadline in your notice. Running short of time? Call us early so we can plan the visit.

At the re-inspection, we check every item that failed and confirm nothing else has changed. If the barrier now complies, we issue your Form 23 promptly, ready to lodge with your council within 30 days of issue.

If a certificate isn’t lodged within 30 days, a new inspection and certificate are required, so lodge it as soon as you can.

Keep every notice and certificate together in one place so you can track your deadlines and stay on top of your barrier’s compliance.