The rules for landlords, state by state
If you lease out a property with a pool or spa, the compliance obligation sits with you — not the tenant, and not the property manager (though agents can be fined too in some states).
Queensland
You must hold a current pool safety certificate before entering a new lease — including renewals with new tenants and most short-stay accommodation. Certificates last 2 years (non-shared) or 1 year (shared pools, like a unit complex). With back-to-back tenancies, this becomes a genuinely recurring cost — put the renewal date in your calendar, because letting it lapse mid-tenancy puts you in breach.
New South Wales
A valid certificate of compliance (or relevant occupation certificate) must be in place before a residential tenancy agreement is signed, and a copy given to the tenant. Certificates last 3 years. The pool must be on the NSW Swimming Pool Register.
Victoria
The rental minimum standards require the pool barrier to comply, and the pool must be registered with council with its certificate of barrier compliance current on the 4-year cycle. Property managers typically ask for evidence at listing.
Elsewhere
WA, SA, TAS and ACT don't require a certificate to lease, but the barrier must comply at all times and councils can fine owners directly. In the NT, compliance certificate requirements can apply when older-pool properties are leased.
Short-stay and Airbnb properties
QLD treats most short-stay accommodation with a pool as "shared pool" territory — meaning a 1-year certificate cycle. If you run an Airbnb with a pool in QLD, you're effectively on an annual inspection subscription. Other states apply their normal rules, but platform hosts are increasingly asked for compliance evidence after incidents.
What happens mid-tenancy
Certificates that expire during a tenancy don't generally force an immediate re-inspection in QLD until the next lease event — but the barrier itself must stay compliant every day, and councils can inspect and fine at any time. Tenants should report barrier damage; owners should fix it as urgent repairs. A gate that stops self-latching is a compliance breach today, not at the next inspection.
Managing multiple pool properties? The renewal cycles differ by state and pool type. A simple register of certificate expiry dates across your rent roll avoids the scramble — and the fines.