Owning a home with a septic system gets you familiarized with the needs of the system. Most owners will tell you they are aware of the signs that their system needs attention. However, what if you are renting that home to someone else? Are your tenants aware of the signs? It is important that the chief resident of the home is familiar with septic systems. They are the ones that will notice issues first!
When renting your your home, make your new tenants aware that they are on a septic system. Keep in mind that not everyone is familiar with them. Educate them on the importance of limiting the materials going into the tank. Stress that only toilet paper and human waste should be washed down. Other materials are harmful. It may be helpful to include these in your rental agreement to help prevent expensive and avoidable damages.
You should also have accurate information about how many people will be sharing the home. Are two people using the system regularly? Is it a family of five that will be living there? This could help give you a more accurate idea of how often you will need to arrange maintenance pumps. Remember, a tank will fill more quickly with five people than two!
You should also educate your renter on signs that the system needs attention. Symptoms such as slow drainage, drains “gurgling”, or a sewage odor can all be signs that the tank needs maintenance. Another red flag may be over saturation of the drain field. So, make your renter aware of where the drain field is and outline restrictions on what can go on top of it. Be assertive in your expectations. No vehicles or livestock should be rest on top of the drain field! This could cause damage that is expensive to repair.
Express Septic Pumping has experience working with rental homes. Give us a call if you’d like to set up your rental. Your tenants will never have to worry with our regular maintenance schedule. Setting up an account will make maintenance quick and easy!
