Wells and Rental properties
I am under contract with an investor in Indianapolis on a SFR and the home has well water. I wanted to check in with the BP community- what things should I make sure to discuss with the client and point out with wells and a rental property? Any help would be fabulous.
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#5 Multi-Family and Apartment Investing Contributor
- Investor
- Shelton, WA
I would have the water tested for pressure, minerals, metals and bacteria. They will want a water treatment system for hardness as well. Nothing wrong with well water just needs testing and treatment-we do that with city water too.
I would also inquire of the seller as to what kind of well it is and when it was dug and if the pump has ever been replaced (depending on the age) and if they ever have had to fill the well because it ever ran out. This info would be helpful to pass on to the buyer. Good luck!
@Tyler Lingle how deep is the well? Any information on the well pump and its age. If you have septic how far is it from the septic. Run a water test. A well company will come out and do a well inspection for you and run the water test. They can tell you flow as well. It is an extra inspection but may well be worth it.
Test for production and water quality. I would also look at the pump to see if it's due for replacement. The well housing should extend above ground to prevent any surface pollution to enter the well pit.
This is one of the things I avoid when screening properties. I don't have anything against wells, and I know water (I worked in the utility industry for over 20 years); it's just one more system to maintain.
Ideally, you would want to test the well once a quarter, though most people that even bother testing are happy to do so once a year. Unfortunately, if/when you do find out that your well has some type of contamination - coliform, nitrates, and ground industrial chemicals like benzoate are common - you might be legally, or ethically, on the hook to do something about it. That can be as cheap as a simple filter or chlorination system or as expensive as relocating and drilling a new well. Wells can also go dry or pick up rising levels of sulfur, iron or manganese, none of which will be pleasant for your tenants. The water will almost certainly be quite hard unless it's under the influence of surface water, since it's had plenty of time to percolate through the subsurface and pick up mineral content - in that part of the country most people on wells will want a water softener (I lived in Ohio about 100 miles from Indy before, everyone had softeners) which presents another problem since you probably have a septic system and need to find a suitable discharge area for the brine.
That's on the quality side of things. As far as systems, you will have a submersible pump with a low pressure switch, a check valve, a pressure/bladder tank and a 240 hookup. If your well is pathetic you may have a holding tank on site as well. If you need water treatment you will also have those other items I mentioned above.
