The Southern Highlands has one of the older population profiles of any regional NSW area. Bowral, Moss Vale and Mittagong attract retirees and downsizers for excellent reasons: the cool climate, the community character, the arts and dining scene, the proximity to Sydney family. Many of these homeowners, and many long-established Highlands residents in their 60s, 70s and 80s, have pools installed in an earlier era that no longer serve any practical purpose.
For older homeowners, pool removal is often not just a financial or property decision, it’s a safety decision, a quality-of-life decision, and for many, a significant relief. This guide addresses pool removal specifically from the perspective of aging homeowners and the people who support them.
Quick Answer (BLUF)
For most older homeowners, a pool they no longer swim in represents the most significant safety hazard, maintenance burden and compliance obligation on the property. Removing it reduces fall risk (from pool decking), eliminates the compliance management task, reduces the ongoing cost burden, and creates a simpler, more accessible outdoor space that supports independent living. Pool removal is often one of the best home modification investments for aging in place.
The Fall Risk: Pool Decking and Surrounds
Falls are the leading cause of injury hospitalisation for Australians over 65. Outdoor environments, particularly wet surfaces, are a major fall location. Pool areas concentrate multiple fall risks:
Wet and slippery decking. Pool surrounds get wet during pool use and from rain, splash and hose-washing. Smooth concrete, pavers, and tile surfaces around pools become dangerously slippery when wet. In the Southern Highlands’ climate, pooled water also freezes on cold mornings, a pool deck in late May or June may have a skim of ice across it.
Step-down from coping to pool surround. Many pools have a raised coping edge that creates a step-down (sometimes unmarked or hard to see) between the pool surrounds and the adjacent garden or lawn. For someone with reduced balance or visual acuity, this step is a fall risk even when dry.
Pool equipment areas. The pump, filter and equipment pad area typically has hoses, electrical cables, raised connections and uneven surfaces, all tripping hazards.
Pool fencing gates and latches. Self-closing pool gate mechanisms can be unexpected, a gate that swings closed behind you while your hands are full is a hazard.
When the pool is removed, all of these hazards are eliminated. The area becomes a flat, open garden surface, consistently easier to navigate than the pool surround it replaced.
The Maintenance Burden
Managing pool chemistry, running equipment, monitoring water levels, cleaning, and organising professional service visits is a real workload. For older homeowners managing a large Highlands property, adding pool maintenance to the task list is often the tipping point for an already stretched maintenance schedule.
Physical demands include: lifting pool chemical containers (which can weigh 10-15kg), leaning over the pool edge to brush walls, cleaning and emptying skimmer baskets, and managing the equipment (pump strainer clearing, backwashing the filter). For someone with reduced strength, balance or flexibility, these tasks become progressively harder and less safe.
The alternative, hiring a pool service, adds cost but doesn’t eliminate the compliance obligations or the visual and psychological presence of the pool as an ongoing responsibility.
Removing the pool eliminates the maintenance task entirely. There is simply nothing to maintain.
Compliance Management: Not a Simple Task
NSW pool compliance obligations, fencing standards, register maintenance, compliance certificates for sales/leases, are not complex for a younger person comfortable with online systems and bureaucratic processes. For many older homeowners, they are a source of genuine stress:
- Knowing when the compliance certificate needs renewal
- Navigating the NSW Planning Portal or Swimming Pools Register online
- Understanding when a pool inspection is required vs optional
- Managing the requirements when considering selling or renting
Particularly for older homeowners who are considering selling in the next five years, the compliance requirements around selling a property with a pool (updated register, valid compliance certificate, disclosure obligations) add complexity to an already significant process.
Removal removes all of these obligations permanently.
The Grandchildren Consideration
For older homeowners who have grandchildren visiting, the drowning risk from an unsupervised pool is a constant background anxiety. Even a fully compliant, well-fenced pool requires constant attention when small children are present.
As Highlands properties are used for family gatherings, grandparent visits and holiday stays, the cognitive load of “where are the children?” becomes acute when there’s a pool on the property. Many older Highlands homeowners describe pool removal as one of the best family decisions they made, the anxiety simply disappears.
The Financial Reality of Aging in Place
For many older homeowners managing a substantial Highlands property on a fixed income (superannuation, pension, investment returns), the ongoing cost of pool ownership is material:
- Pool service: $80-120/month
- Chemicals: $500-$800/year
- Equipment maintenance/repair: variable but significant for older equipment
- Compliance certificates: $300-$500 every few years
- Water (evaporation and backwash): $200-$400/year
At $2,000-$3,500+ per year, pool ownership represents a meaningful cost for someone on a fixed retirement income. Pool removal, while a significant upfront investment ($10,000-$18,000), pays for itself in five to eight years and then generates ongoing savings.
For homeowners considering aged care transition, reducing the property’s maintenance requirements, and costs, is often advisable planning advice from financial advisors.
Helping an Older Family Member With Pool Removal
If you’re a family member helping an aging parent or relative navigate pool removal, the process is manageable with some coordination:
- Pool removal contractors work directly with whoever manages the property, it doesn’t need to be the homeowner if a family member is the appropriate point of contact
- Council approval can be managed electronically, a family member managing this on a relative’s behalf is straightforward
- Many Highlands families find that having a family member coordinate the project while the homeowner is kept informed is the most efficient approach
- Post-removal landscaping is an opportunity to simplify the garden to something that requires less ongoing work
FAQs
Can pool removal qualify as a home modification for safety purposes?
Pool removal is a safety modification in practical terms. However, it is not covered by standard home modification funding programs (which are typically targeted at indoor grab rails, ramps and similar modifications). Some financial advisors suggest pool removal is a legitimate capital improvement that may be considered in aged care asset assessments, speak with a financial advisor experienced in aged care planning.
My parent is going into aged care. Should the pool be removed before selling the property?
In most cases, yes, removing the pool before sale simplifies the transaction, broadens the buyer market and reduces the risk of price reduction or buyer nervousness at inspection. The period between an aged care admission and property sale is often several months, which provides time to organise removal and basic landscaping before listing. Consult with a real estate agent familiar with the Highlands market for specific advice.
My elderly neighbour has an unused, unfenced pool. What should I do?
If you have genuine safety concerns about a neighbour’s non-compliant pool, you can make a confidential complaint to Wingecarribee Shire Council’s pool compliance team. Council is obligated to investigate compliance concerns. Framing it as a safety concern (especially if children are regularly nearby) tends to get faster attention than a general complaint. Alternatively, speaking directly with the homeowner or their family in a supportive way may prompt action.
Is the removal process disruptive for an older person living at the property?
The work takes one to three days and involves machinery noise (particularly during concrete demolition). Most older homeowners prefer to be away from the property during the heaviest work day, visiting family or staying with friends, and returning when the site is quieter. Contractors are generally accommodating in scheduling to minimise disruption and can work with you to plan around the homeowner’s preferences.