Slab leak check before buying
Pre-Purchase Slab Leak Inspection Services in Texas
Last reviewed
A slab leak is hard to see at a showing. A few checks before closing can tell you whether the home has had one, whether one is active and what the plumbing looks like. Call and we’ll connect you with a local Texas crew for pre-purchase slab leak inspection.
We’ll connect you with a local leak-detection crew.
Why check before you buy
A general inspection looks at many things and may not test the plumbing under the slab. A leak can be present and silent. Finding out before closing lets you negotiate, plan or walk away with the facts.
What a buyer can notice at a showing
- Warm spots on tile or hard floors
- Damp or discolored carpet, baseboards or flooring
- Hollow-sounding tile or patched concrete under new flooring
- Mismatched flooring in one area
- A musty smell in a closet or corner
- The sound of water running when no one is using it
Ask to see the water meter and the main shutoff. A moving meter in a vacant home means water is escaping.
Describe the home and the timeline.
Questions for the seller
- Has the home ever had a slab leak or a plumbing repair?
- When, where, and who did the work?
- Is there any paperwork, such as invoices, reports or coverage details?
- What is the pipe material, and has any been replaced?
- Have there been unusually high water bills?
Anything you learn about past leaks or repairs should be put in writing.
What a pre-purchase leak check involves
With the seller’s permission, a technician checks the meter, isolates the plumbing and tests it for pressure loss. If the system holds, there is no active leak. If it does not, the technician locates the problem and explains what it involves. A technician can also confirm the pipe material and look for signs of past repairs.
It does not predict future leaks. It shows the state of the plumbing on the day it is tested.
A technician can test for active leaks.
If a leak is found
You and your agent can ask the seller to repair it, or you can walk away, depending on your contract. Ask for the technician’s findings in writing. See slab leak repair and replacement to understand what each involves.
A local crew knows how homes in your area are usually plumbed.
Older Texas homes
Homes from the 1960s through the 1990s often have copper, polybutylene or early PEX under the slab, and may have been repaired before. See older home slab leaks and polybutylene-era homes.
Describe the signs you have seen.
What the results can and cannot tell you
A leak check before closing answers a narrow question: whether water is escaping from the supply system at the time of the check. It does not predict the condition of every pipe in the house, and it is not a forecast of the future.
A clean result means no leak was found with the methods used that day. A positive result is a reason to ask more questions: where the leak is, what the line is made of and what the repair options would involve. How a seller and a buyer handle the repair is a conversation between the parties and their agents.
Ask the technician to put findings in writing, with photos where possible, so the information can be shared with an agent or a later owner. See older home slab leaks if the house is from the 1960s or earlier.
Fitting a leak check into the purchase timeline
Most buyers schedule a leak check during the option or inspection period, alongside the general home inspection. That leaves time to discuss the results with the seller before the deadline.
Book early. A general inspection report that mentions a warm floor, a running meter or signs of past repairs may prompt a leak check, and there may not be many days left. Ask the seller or listing agent for access to the meter, the water heater and the main shutoff, and confirm that the water is on.
If a leak is found, the technician can usually tell you which line it is on and roughly where. That is enough for the parties to discuss next steps. The repair itself is a separate decision, and who arranges and pays for it is something buyer and seller agree between them.
Testing a vacant house
Many homes are vacant when they are listed. That makes testing easier in some ways, since there is no water use to work around. It also brings a few practical issues.
The water needs to be on at the meter, and the water heater needs to be full and heated if the hot side is going to be tested properly. If the house has been empty for a while, the main shutoff may have been closed. Ask the listing agent to confirm the water is on before the visit.
A vacant house also gives fewer clues. There may be no recent water bills to compare, and a leak that would normally show as a warm floor might go unnoticed. That is one reason a pressure test is useful. It does not depend on anyone having noticed a symptom.
Newer homes are worth checking too
Buyers tend to think of slab leaks as a problem with older houses, and older copper lines do account for many leaks. Newer homes are not exempt. PEX systems can leak at fittings, and any supply line can be damaged during construction or by later work on the house.
Soil also matters regardless of age. On expansive clay, a newer home sits on ground that moves with the seasons from the day it is built. A line that crosses a footing or bends sharply under the slab can be stressed early in the life of the house.
A leak check on a newer home is usually quick, and a clean result is useful to have. See PEX slab leaks and slab leaks and expansive clay.
Questions to ask the technician
A few questions help you get the most from a pre-purchase leak check. Ask which lines were tested and whether each one held pressure. Ask whether drain lines were checked, since a supply test does not cover them. Ask what the pipe material appears to be and whether there are signs of earlier slab repairs, such as patched concrete or rerouted lines in the attic.
If a leak is found, ask which line it is on, how confident the technician is about the location, and what repair options would likely apply. A short written summary is easier to share with the seller and your agent than a verbal report.
Keep the summary with your purchase documents. If you buy the house, it becomes the first entry in its plumbing record. If a later leak is found, it shows what condition the lines were in when you bought it.
If the seller has records of past leak repairs, ask for copies before the check so the technician can compare.
Pre-purchase slab leak questions
Not always. Standard inspections may not test the plumbing under the slab. A leak check does.
Yes, with the seller’s permission. Ask your agent.
It depends on the house. Ask when you book.
A technician may notice patched concrete and other signs of past work.
No. It shows there is no active leak on the day tested.
You and the seller decide how to handle it. A written report helps.
Yes. It tells you what to expect for the future.
A moving meter in a vacant home is a sign of a leak. A technician can confirm.
It is negotiable and depends on your contract.
Check the plumbing before you close
Call and we’ll connect you with a local technician who can test for active leaks.
Same-day response in many areas.