Are you complying with swimming pool fence regulations?

Rather than swimming in your pool this season, you're most likely cleaning all the fallen leaves away.

One solution to prevent leaves falling around your pool is to cut down any overhanging branches, and if these are out of reach, you can seek the help of scissor lifts or cherry pickers.

It's still important to ensure - even if you're not using it - that your pool and spa fencing complies with safety regulations, after a Victorian property owner was fined $30,000 in the Frankston Magistrates Court over a non-compliant swimming pool safety fence.

The Building Commission prosecuted the property owner for failing to comply with a building order to make the safety barrier of their swimming pool compliant with the Building Act 1993, despite being given "adequate opportunity" to do so.

The Building Commission noted that it was committed to ensuring pool and spa safety barriers comply with regulations and has begun implementing reforms which include regular assessment of pool fences and a "targeted audit and compliance program".

Victoria's Building Commissioner Michael Kefford said in a February 4 press release that a compliant fence might not be cheap, but it "could be the difference between life and death for a child - and that is invaluable".