Up to 12,000 balconies and decks across Australia could be at risk of potentially deadly collapse, architects say.

The Australian Institute of Architects has released its most recent estimates of at-risk decks.

It comes after a baby died on the Central Coast of New South Wales last month when a balustrade gave way.

Archicentre, which is a not-for-profit subsidiary of the institute, generated the figure of 12,000 based on its nationwide inspections.

An ABC investigation has found there is no system for mandatory inspections of decks across Australia and rules vary from state to state.

The ACT is the only place where homeowners must have a building inspection before putting their house up for sale and must give a copy to the buyer.

Some states have mandatory disclosure laws so that if an inspection is done, it must be handed over, while others have no regulations at all.

Source: ABC News

NB:  This deck collapsed in October 2013, injuring 24 people.