Storm season is here, which means it's time to do some maintenance around your property to make sure you are as ready as possible.
You need to clear any leaves and debris out of eaves and gutters to ensure proper drainage of roof water during severe water events. This is particularly important if you are living in leafy suburbs.
It may also be a good time to do any surface drainage and garden maintenance, which is necessary to prevent subsidence, and should be done on an annual basis.
Recent severe weather events may have caused damage or unexpected movement to swimming pool fencing or barrier components.
Any damaged fencing that allows access to a child under five should be made compliant immediately.
Flooding and heavy rain events are very likely to have caused differential ground movements to the posts supporting your pool safety gate. This can cause your gate to not self-close or self-latch.
A property owner should repair this work immediately or have a suitably qualified contractor make the repairs.
The Surveyors Board of Queensland (SBQ) has identified that there is some uncertainty about when a registered cadastral surveyor is required to identify a property boundary (also known as a cadastral boundary).
Temporary fencing must be installed while pool owners are installing a new fence or trying to bring their pool barriers into compliance with pool safety laws.
This is a requirement that many pool owners overlook when trying to bring their pool barriers into compliance with the pool safety laws which came into effect on 1 December, 2015 after a five-year phase-in period.
A recent coroner’s report into the death of a young child in a backyard swimming pool on the Gold Coast shows that the community still has a way to go in their education and understanding of pool safety.
All pool owners can now replace a pool fence without a building approval, provided that a pool safety inspector (PSI) is engaged prior to work commencing.
Previously, only pool owners with a house or townhouse were exempt from obtaining a building approval in order to build, replace or repair a pool fence.
Self-assessable work for all pool owners must still comply with all applicable building code requirements, but a building approval (provided by a building certifier) is not required for the work.
Pool Safety Inspectors (PSIs) and the QBCC have received numerous enquiries from pool owners concerned about missing the 1 December compliance deadline.
Only local councils have the power to enforce this requirement and issue fines against noncompliant pool owners.
QBCC can help with advising what the legal requirements are: If you’re a pool owner, the law applies to you from 1 December and we encourage you to work towards compliance as soon as you can.
If you have already found a contractor, find out if they have the correct licence and read their licensee history by doing a licensee search on our home page.
If you intend to have any building work carried out on your property, make sure you engage a licensed contractor.
By engaging a QBCC licensee, you can move forward with the peace of mind that the worker you have engaged is trained to do the work you have hired him/her to do.
