Skip to main content

September 18, 2009

Sellers Add Water Work to Checklist

Anyone gearing up to sell their property needs to know about a new water conservation ordinance that went into effect over the summer.

Aimed at increasing water efficiency and overall conservation, the new law requires residential properties to be retrofitted upon resale. Here are the new requirements:
– all showerheads have maximum flow of 2.5 gpm (gallons per minute)
– showers have no more than one showerhead per valve
– faucets and faucet aerators have max flow rate of 2.2 gpm
– toilets have a max consumption of 1.6 gallons per flush
– all water leaks have been repaired.

A qualified energy and water inspector is the professional sellers will call in to survey their property and potentially make whichever changes are necessary. Sellers should also note that transferring compliance to the buyers is possible, but only if the title company holds back 1% of the purchase price in escrow. The buyers then have 180 days from the property sale to complete the work. Any unused portions of the holdback are returned to the seller after the certificate of completion is filed with the Department of Building Inspection.

There are toilet, faucet, and showerhead rebates available, so check the details prior to moving ahead with any work.

Explore All Posts

Blogging Since 2008

Posts by Neighborhood

Posts by Category

Posts by Year