Many homes are equipped with a septic system, especially those outside of city limits. If you are considering the purchase of a home with a septic system, it is important you know the size, type and state of the system which is currently in place. A new septic system can be very expensive to replace, a large expense you don’t want to be unexpectedly saddled with soon after buying a new home.
Questions You Need To Ask The Seller
Most routine home inspections don’t include inspection of the septic system. Although the laws are different in every state, in many states it is the responsibility of the buyer to ask questions about the septic system. Here are some basic questions you need answers for before you buy any home with a septic system:
- Date of last pumping. Ask for documentation showing when the last septic tank pumping was performed. Most systems are pumped every 2-3 years at a minimum, and you’ll want to make sure the date of the last pumping was well within this time frame.
- Size of septic system. Find out the capacity of the system currently in place. Septic systems are typically built for the amount of bedrooms in the home. If any additions were made after the system was put in place, it may be too small.
- How many people lived in the home. If over five people were recently living in the home, the septic system may have required more frequent pumping in order to keep up with the demand.
Armed with this information, contact a septic company to discuss the implications of purchasing a particular property. It would be prudent to have your own septic system inspection performed before buying the home. If it will need to be replaced soon, it could affect the price you are willing to pay for the home unless the seller is willing to replace it as a condition of the sale, which is important information to have before extending a purchase offer.
Posted on behalf of Tony McAdams, A-1 National Sewer and Drain
