Pre-sale pool safety inspection across the Sunshine Coast.

Why pre-sale Form 23 matters.

Under QLD Building Act 1975 Pt 13, a property with a pool or spa cannot be sold without a current Form 23 Pool Safety Certificate at settlement. The seller’s options are:

1. Get Form 23 issued before settlement — the clean, default path. Buyer takes the property with a current cert. No ongoing obligation.
2. Issue Form 36 (Notice of No Pool Safety Certificate) to the buyer at settlement — the rectification obligation then passes to the buyer with a 90-day window. This is the “sell as-is” route and almost always triggers a price negotiation or hold-back from the buyer’s solicitor.

Option 1 is faster, cleaner, and avoids settlement-day friction. Option 2 is sometimes used when the pool is in significant non-compliance and the seller doesn’t want to rectify before settlement — but it almost always costs more in negotiation than the inspection + rectification would have.

The pre-sale inspection process.

1. Book. Phone or online. Settlement-week bookings prioritised. Settlement deadline noted on the job sheet.
2. On-site inspection. 30–60 minutes. Full QDC MP 3.4 / AS 1926.1 check — barrier, NCZ, gate, latch, CPR sign, doors and windows.
3. Result on the day. Form 23 issued and lodged if compliant. Form 26 issued with failure list if not.
4. Direct to conveyancer. We CC your solicitor / conveyancer / real estate agent on the cert (or Form 26) so they have it before settlement closes.
5. Rectification + re-inspection (if needed). You arrange the fix with a local fence builder or gate-hardware supplier — we refer locals. We return ($120–$180), confirm rectification, issue Form 23.

Common pre-sale failures across the Sunshine Coast.

• Climbable object inside the 900mm NCZ. Pot plant, BBQ, planter, air-con condenser, kid’s chair. Often placed years ago and forgotten about. Fix: move it. Cost: $0.
• Gate latch height below 1500mm or doesn’t self-latch. Often worn over time. Fix: replace latch (Magna-Latch or D&D MagnaLatch). Cost: $180–$340.
• Gate self-closing hinge degraded. Spring no longer pulls gate shut from 150mm open. Fix: replace hinge pair. Cost: $220–$420.
• CPR sign missing, faded, or pre-2018 version. Fix: install current DG-006 sign. Cost: $40–$80.
• Gap under fence over 100mm. Often from soil erosion / mulch loss. Fix: build up mulch / install timber threshold. Cost: $0–$200.
• Door from dwelling into pool zone not self-closing or lockable. Fix: install self-closer + key lock. Cost: $180–$420.

Settlement-deadline scheduling.

We block out settlement-week slots specifically for pre-sale work. Most pre-sale inspections happen within 3–5 business days of booking; urgent under-48-hour bookings carry a small surcharge (~$50). If the pool fails and rectification work is needed, we coordinate with the local fence-trade referral and return for re-inspection within 7–14 days, so settlement isn’t jeopardised.

Working with your conveyancer.

We’ll send the signed Form 23 PDF (or Form 26 non-compliance notice) direct to your conveyancer / solicitor on request. Most Sunshine Coast conveyancers prefer this — the cert hits their settlement file without you having to forward it twice. We also lodge electronically with the QBCC Pool Safety Register so the buyer’s solicitor can verify currency independently.