The good news is that pool safety inspection is one of the few licensed businesses in Queensland where your clients come to you by legal necessity, not just by choice. Every property with a regulated pool being sold or leased in Queensland needs an inspection — and someone has to do it. That someone can be you.
But you still need to get in front of the right people first. Here is the approach that works.
1. Real estate agents — your most important relationship
Real estate sales agents are your single most valuable source of ongoing work. Every time they list a property with a pool for sale, they need a licensed Pool Safety Inspector. If they trust you and you make their lives easy, they will call you again and again — and recommend you to other agents in their office.
- The strategy is straightforward: introduce yourself to every real estate office in your target area before you have a single client. Call ahead, ask for the property manager or principal, and arrange a brief meeting — 10 minutes is all you need. Bring a business card, explain what you offer, and make it easy for them to save your number.
- Target the agencies that list the most pool properties in your area
- Offer fast turnaround — agents under settlement pressure value speed
- Be easy to reach — answer your phone and return calls quickly
- Issue certificates promptly — within 24 hours of a successful inspection where possible
- Communicate clearly when a pool is non-compliant — agents need to know quickly so they can advise their clients
Don’t just contact agents once. Follow up after your introduction, and check in periodically even when things are quiet. The agents who remember you and call you first are the ones you’ve built a genuine professional relationship with — not just a cold introduction.
2. Property managers — consistent, recurring volume
Property managers handle rental properties, and pool safety certificates for leased properties need renewing regularly. A property manager who manages 50 properties with pools is a recurring revenue stream — not just a one-off job.
Approach property management departments of real estate agencies separately from their sales teams. Property managers have different pressures to sales agents — they work to lease timelines and renewal schedules. Make it clear you can work around their schedule, provide clear nonconformity reports when pools don’t pass, and turn certificates around quickly.
3. Register on the QBCC Pool Safety Inspector search
The QBCC maintains a public register of licensed Pool Safety Inspectors that pool owners and agents can search when they need to find someone. Once you have your licence, make sure your details are current and accurate on this register. Pool owners searching for an inspector in their area will find you directly — this is free, passive marketing that works 24 hours a day.
Check your listing at my.qbcc.qld.gov.au and ensure your contact details, business name, and service area are correct and up to date.
4. Build a simple online presence
- You don’t need an elaborate website to start — but having something online matters. When an agent or pool owner Googles “pool safety inspector [your suburb]” and you appear, you look established and professional even as a new business.
- Google Business Profile — free, takes 20 minutes to set up, and gets you appearing in local search results and Google Maps
- A basic website — even a single page with your contact details, service area, and QBCC licence number builds trust
- Yellow Pages and True Local — older directories still used by homeowners who aren’t on Google
- Facebook Business Page — useful for local visibility, especially in regional Queensland
5. Ask for Google reviews from your first clients
Google reviews are disproportionately powerful for local service businesses. Five genuine five-star reviews from real clients will put you ahead of competitors with none — and they influence both search rankings and the decision of a pool owner or agent choosing between inspectors.
After every successful inspection in your first few months, send a simple follow-up message asking the client to leave a Google review. Most won’t, but enough will — and those reviews compound over time.
6. Body corporates and holiday accommodation
Properties managed by body corporates — apartment complexes, resorts, holiday parks — often have multiple pools on the one site and need annual inspections. These clients represent significant volume from a single relationship. Shared pools require a Pool Safety Certificate that must be renewed every 12 months (compared to 2 years for residential pools), creating consistent recurring work.
Identify body corporate management companies in your area and contact them directly. A single strata manager who handles 20 complexes with pools is potentially 20 annual inspections — booked in advance on a regular schedule.
7. Conveyancers and solicitors
Property solicitors and conveyancers manage the legal side of property transactions. When a property with a pool is changing hands, they coordinate the pool safety certificate requirement as part of the settlement process. Building relationships with conveyancing firms in your area gives you another referral channel outside of real estate agencies.
How long does it take to build a full client base?
Most APSIC graduates who actively pursue real estate agency relationships report getting their first bookings within a few weeks of receiving their QBCC licence. Building a sustainable, full-time client base typically takes 3 to 6 months of consistent effort — making introductions, following up, and delivering excellent service on every job so clients return and refer.
The inspectors who build fastest are almost always the ones who are easiest to work with: they answer their phones, turn up on time, communicate clearly, and make the certificate process simple for the agent or property manager. The technical skill is learnable in 2.5 days. The professional reliability is what builds the business.
What APSIC graduates say about getting started
Over 15 years, Jacqui has seen graduates from every background build successful inspection businesses. The common thread is not prior experience — it is the willingness to make those first introductions, deliver a great service on the first few jobs, and let the referrals build from there. Queensland’s 350,000+ regulated swimming pools guarantee that the demand is there. Your job is simply to make sure the right people know you exist and can trust you to do the job well.
