Septic inspection when buying a rural home or cottage in Canada

When a house or cottage is not connected to a municipal sewer, the septic system is one of the most expensive parts of the property to repair or replace. A general home inspection usually only looks at the plumbing inside the house: it does not open the tank or assess the leaching bed. That is why many buyers, lenders and real estate lawyers recommend a separate septic inspection before closing.

What a septic inspection should cover

• Locating the system: tank, distribution box or pump chamber, and the leaching bed (drain field).
• Opening the tank to check the liquid level, the sludge and scum layers, the baffles or tees, the effluent filter and the condition of the walls and lids. The tank often needs to be pumped to be inspected properly.
• Walking the leaching bed to look for soggy areas, odours, breakouts or settling.
• Checking pumps and alarms on systems that have them.
• A written report with the observations, the limits of the inspection and recommendations.

Some inspectors also run a flow or dye test. Ask what is included and what is not when you request quotes.

Documents to ask the seller for

• The permit and the as-built drawing of the system. Depending on the province, these are held by the municipality, the conservation authority, the health unit or the health authority.
• Pumping and maintenance records, and the maintenance plan if the system was installed with one (in British Columbia, an authorized person provides a maintenance plan for new systems).
• The age of the system and any repairs or replacements.

If no permit can be found, the system may be old or undocumented: an inspection is all the more important.

Fitting it into your offer

In a competitive market, the inspection window can be short. Book early, make sure the inspector can access the property and the tank lids, and plan for winter: frozen ground and deep snow can limit what can be checked. Ask your lawyer or real estate agent how to word the condition in your offer.

Describe the property in the form, mention your closing date, and septic professionals in your area get back to you.