By Ivo Henfling

Water in Costa Rica is nowadays pretty clean in the dry season and very affordable. Most households in Costa Rica do not pay more than $30/month. If you spend more than that, you have a large household or you have a leak. No matter where you will buy a Costa Rica home for sale, you will probably be connected to A y A. Today there are very few areas that have water managed by the city or by a  coop. Water in Costa Rica is relatively cheap and is generally managed by A y A which means Acuaductos y Alcantarillados. But if you are looking to purchase Costa Rica real estate with your preferred GoDutch realtor, ask him/her where the water supply is coming from.

For example, if you buy or rent a home in Roca Verde, in Atenas, the gated community has several wells and water tanks, so the residents of the community don´t run short of water. Most of these private water arrangements have good filters on them so you have perfectly potable drinking water.

Potable water

There are still many areas in Costa Rica that have problems with potable water so this is definitely an issue you should look at when you are planning to buy property in Costa Rica. The water supply is not always constant and many that can afford it to have a water back up system with a pump on their property in case the water company does some work down the road. A y A is working hard to get all communities in Costa Rica their own potable water but the growth of the population goes faster than the A y A budget.

Check sort of water supply

When you buy a property in the rainy season, you’ll find most properties have good water pressure. When you buy the property in dry season, you can have a better feel what the water pressure is like. That’s when you either need to talk to some neighbors and ask if they run out of water during any time of the year or make sure you include the cost of a water reserve tank, a pressure tank and a water pump to the cost of the purchase if the property doesn´t already have one.

Many rural properties have their water supplied by what is called an “Asada” or a water Co-op. Generally they don’t have a water meter installed and charge a fixed amount per month for the water supply.

Change ownership on your water meter

Most buyers of Costa Rica real estate do not change the water meter in their name after the purchase and keep receiving it under the registered name, which might be a person who is long dead as the former owner (s) also did not bother to change the water meter into their name.

To be able to change the water bill into your own name, you need to have residency and a cédula (ID) number and the property must be in  your name in the national register. As proof, you need a certification from the National register.

Check your water systems before the purchase

Before you purchase the Costa Rica real estate, make sure your home inspector checks all the water systems and looks for leaks in faucets, bath tub and other places that can have leaks. If you don´t have a home inspector, ask your GoDutch realtor to recommend you one.

Take over the corporation and water meter

If you take over the existing corporation that owns the property in Costa Rica, it is easy to change the water meter over to the corporation’s name without you having residency as the corporation (or S.A.) is a local entity and you can just give special power of attorney to a person who does have residency.

Ask your GoDutch real estate agent to help you connect your water bill or tell you how to transfer the existing waterbill in your own name, if you’d like to do so.

By Ivo Henfling, your Costa Rica realtor who also sells properties in Alajuela and some other parts of the Central Valley. All GoDutch agents are well trained and will not only rent or sell you a home in the Central Valley but will introduce you to the many aspects of living in Costa Rica.