A pool in a shared building is a great amenity, but only if the contractor actually built it to standard. A home inspection (bedek bayit) of a building's common areas naturally covers the pool as well.
So what defects turn up in a shared building's pool? Ceramic cladding is one: in some cases it comes loose because it was bonded with an adhesive that cannot withstand water and chlorine. That is what happened in the pool of a large building complex in Ganei Tikva, where, following Arad's expert opinion, the contractor had to remove every tile and reinstall them.
Other defects show up too. Ladders installed for getting in and out of the pool are sometimes below standard or not properly secured. The steps down to the pool must meet the regulation height and width and, of course, not be too slippery.
The cladding around the pool must use anti-slip tiles laid with the right slope so water does not pool on the surface, and the railings and fences around it must meet the safety standard. Another recurring problem is defects in the machine room, mainly around safety, keeping hazardous chemicals, pumps, and the electrical panel properly separated.
And finally, where there is an underground parking garage beneath the pool, waterproofing under and around it matters: in Netanya, several lawsuits have followed from Arad's expert opinion on exactly this issue.
Note this photo, showing dampness in the parking garage beneath the pool:
The engineers of Arad Bedek Bayit, led by building engineer Ron Arad, whom courts appoint as their own expert on construction defects. The company has been inspecting apartments and buildings since 2001. Engineer Ron Arad · More about the company