Type of utilities in a park can be another quick decision-making point as many owners and operators will simply say no to some utilities. We are looking at water and sewer, in both their private and public forms; starting with water.
Public - just what it sounds like, it is water provided by a city or township. The public supplier is responsible for the quality of the water and some of the water lines, which can vary from municipality to municipality. To find out where responsibility for maintaining these lines ends with the provider and begins with you the owner, we recommend checking directly with the provider. Water usage and billing for the tenant is all handled by the supplier; not you as the park owner.
Private – in regards to; water, there is only one option for private, which is the well. The park owner is responsible to have a certified tester check the water, typically daily, for water quality. In addition to ensuring water quality, the park owner is responsible for maintaining all parts of the well water infrastructure, including lines, pumps, pump house and the well itself. Well water is more responsibility and work than public water, but is very feasible, requires having a water tester and a third-party vendor to service the system. Additional responsibility includes providing notices such as a boil water notice when deemed necessary by your water service company, finding leaks in the system and providing drinking water to residents when the system is shut down for repair.
Both sources of water, public and private, are best handled by having the system inspected for leaks, obtaining a current layout of the location of water lines and a plan for anticipated maintenance issues. Water, in our experience, is typically less of a headache than our next topic…sewer.