--- title: "Safety checks that come up when you sell" description: "Safety checks come up when you sell. They are real, and it is better to know them before settlement week than to find out mid-scramble." canonical_url: "https://hellohelm.co/guides/safety-checks-when-you-sell" last_updated: "2026-10-05" --- Safety checks come up when you sell. They are real, and it is better to know them before settlement week than to find out mid-scramble. There are three that catch sellers out: smoke alarms, pool and spa documents, and electrical safety switches. What applies depends on your state and your property. Some are your job before the contract, some before settlement, and in a couple of states the job falls to the buyer instead. ## The three checks, state by state
State Smoke alarms Pools and spas Safety switches
NSW Working alarms on every level are required at all times; no extra step on sale The contract must attach the pool's registration certificate plus a compliance certificate, a recent occupation certificate or a non-compliance certificate No sale requirement found
VIC No extra step on sale Pools must be registered with council and have a barrier compliance certificate lodged every 4 years; no extra step on sale No sale requirement found
QLD Before transfer, the seller must upgrade to interconnected photoelectric alarms that meet the current standard A pool safety certificate goes to the buyer; if there is none, the seller gives a Form 36 notice and the buyer has 90 days after settlement to get one The seller must tell the buyer in writing whether a safety switch protects the power circuits; if not, the buyer installs one within 3 months
SA The buyer's job: compliant alarms within 6 months of the transfer A pool built before 1 July 1993 must meet the safety standard for older pools by settlement No sale requirement found
WA Compliant alarms must be installed before the home is sold (hardwired alarms under 10 years old) Council inspects pool barriers at least every 4 years; no extra step on sale At least two safety switches (RCDs) covering power and lighting before transfer
TAS No sale requirement found No sale requirement found No retrofit required
ACT No sale requirement found The seller provides a pool disclosure statement or a certificate; from 1 May 2028 a compliance certificate is required No sale requirement found
NT Approved photoelectric alarms must be installed before settlement The transfer needs a declaration that there is no pool, or a compliance certificate (or one of the allowed alternatives) No sale requirement found
"No sale requirement found" means we found no rule tied to the sale itself. General rules for every home still apply, and your conveyancer will know of anything specific to your property. Rules checked October 2026; they change. ## Smoke alarms Queensland, WA and the NT put the work on the seller. In Queensland, a home sold under a contract signed from 2022 must have interconnected photoelectric alarms that meet the current Australian Standard before transfer, and the seller declares it in the transfer paperwork. In WA, compliant alarms must be in before the home is sold. In the NT, approved photoelectric alarms must be fitted before settlement. South Australia flips it: the buyer has six months after the transfer to fit compliant alarms. Everywhere else, the everyday rules for homes apply, and a buyer's building inspector will notice if alarms are missing or dead. ## Pools and spas Pools are where paperwork most often holds up a sale. - **NSW.** The pool must be on the NSW Swimming Pool Register, and the contract must attach the registration certificate plus one of a certificate of compliance, an occupation certificate under three years old, or a certificate of non-compliance. Without them, the buyer can rescind within 14 days of exchange. This does not apply to strata or community schemes with more than two lots. - **QLD.** A pool safety certificate is one of the documents given to the buyer under the seller disclosure scheme. If you do not have one, you give the buyer a Form 36 notice and lodge it with QBCC, and the buyer has 90 days after settlement to get a certificate. - **ACT.** Until 30 April 2028 a seller provides a pool disclosure statement, a recent certificate of occupancy, a compliance certificate or an exemption certificate. From 1 May 2028 a compliance certificate is required. - **NT.** The transfer cannot be registered without either a declaration that there is no pool or a compliance certificate (or one of the allowed alternatives). - **SA.** Pools built before 1 July 1993 must meet the safety standard for older pools (MBS 004) by settlement. - **VIC and WA.** Pool barriers are checked on a regular cycle (every four years) whether or not you sell, so a registered, compliant pool needs no extra step for the sale. ## Electrical safety switches **WA** is the strict one: a home that changes hands must have at least two safety switches (RCDs) protecting the power and lighting circuits before transfer. **Queensland** asks the seller to tell the buyer in writing whether an approved safety switch protects the power circuits; if one does not, the buyer must install it within three months. Elsewhere we found no rule tied to the sale, though it is a cheap fix an electrician can tell you about. ## What to do 1. **Ask your conveyancer what applies to your property.** They prepare the contract and know your state's rules. Do this at the start, not the week before settlement. Our guide to [a private sale, start to settlement](/guides/private-sale-start-to-settlement) shows where it fits. 2. **Book any electrician or pool inspector early.** A failed pool inspection or a missing RCD is easy to fix with time and stressful without it. 3. **Keep the certificates together.** Your conveyancer will need copies, and so will the buyer. Chase these with your conveyancer. helm keeps the listing, enquiries and offers moving while you do. helm does not check or certify any of these items. **You handle the paperwork, helm handles the buyers.** Your listing, enquiries, open homes and offers stay in one place while your conveyancer works through the legal side. ## Sources Smoke alarms: Fire and Rescue NSW, Smoke alarms - what is the law?; Queensland Fire Department, Smoke alarms; Building and Energy WA, Smoke alarm laws; SA.GOV.AU, Smoke alarms; NT Government, Smoke alarms. Pools: NSW Fair Trading, Owning a pool or spa: your obligations; QBCC, Buy, sell or lease a property with a pool; Victorian Building Authority, Pool and spa registration requirements; SA.GOV.AU, Pool and spa safety; WA Government, Swimming pool and spa safety barrier requirements; ACT Planning, Home swimming pool safety reforms; NT Government, Buying or selling property with pools or spas; Consumer Affairs Tasmania, Pool safety barriers. Safety switches: Consumer Protection WA, Staying current with RCD legislation (Settlement industry bulletin 86); WorkSafe Queensland, Safety switches FAQ; CBOS Tasmania, Safety switches in homes. General information, not legal advice. Your conveyancer confirms the rules for your state.