Each year, toddlers continue to drown in backyard pools so safety must always be a First National property manager’s primary concern.
The unfortunate truth is that drowning can happen at any property if appropriate precautions aren’t taken. Royal Life Saving – the national body for water safety in Australia – campaigns hard to get all households to check their pools to ensure safety. They also send the message to local councils that pools need to be checked to ensure compliance with safety standards.
There’s no doubt, with the degree of public distress at each drowning, backyard checks and adherence to the Australian standards for pool safety will become a bigger issue over time.
Where a rental property has a pool, the managing agent holds some responsibility for the safety of the pool and the tenants. Obviously property managers cannot ensure toddler supervision, or that tenants don’t prop the pool gate open, so keeping pool safety top-of-mind is crucial.
However, agents do bear responsibility for ensuring the tenant is informed about pool safety and supervision, and that the pool surroundings and equipment meet minimum standards.
First National encourages Landlords to talk to its Property Managers, to make sure they understand the requirements and their legal responsibilities when they own and investment property with a swimming pool.
We also talk to our tenants, ensuring they understand their responsibilities with their pool. We provide clear documentation concerning what they are expected to do and what the safety requirements are.
Our property managers also regularly turn to pool professionals, such as PoolWerx, to ensure they’re fully aware of changing Australian safety standards. We recommend Poolwerx to all consumers as they can quickly let you know if your pool doesn’t meet the necessary safety criteria.
Taking action to ensure your pool is safe is vital to reducing the risk of a tragedy. By taking action today to ensure your pool is well maintained and safe, you are actively helping to reduce the incidence of drownings.
Visit http://www.homepoolsafety.com.au for further information and checklists or contact at First National property manager for advice.
Categories: Opinion
Tags: Australia, australian real estate blogs, Drowning, first national, first national real estate, Pool fence, property manager, Renting, Safety standards, Swimming pool, toddlers
