Pool Inspection Before Buying or Renting a Villa in Sanur

Before you hand over your deposit or sign a purchase agreement, spend twenty minutes walking around the villa's pool. A few visible signs – cloudy water, corroded fittings, a pump that hums but barely pushes flow – can save you serious repair costs later. Here is what I look at when an expat asks me to inspect a Sanur villa pool before they commit.

What to Look At First

Start with the water itself. Clear, slightly blue-green water means the filtration and chemical balance are being maintained. Cloudy, greenish, or heavily scaled water tells you the previous owner has been cutting corners on maintenance.

Walk the deck and coping stones. In Sanur's humid, salt-laden air, concrete cracks widen faster than in drier climates. Moss between pavers, crumbling grout, or tiles popping out of the basin wall all point to moisture problems underneath.

• Check the water level: it should sit roughly halfway up the skimmer opening. If it is noticeably low, ask why.
• Look under the surface near the return jets for white scale rings – a sign of hard PDAM or well water going untreated.
• Inspect the tile line where water meets dry area; dark staining there often hides a slow seep.

Equipment Room and Electrical Panel

Open the equipment enclosure (usually a small shed or open rack beside the pool). You want to see the pump, filter tank, and any automatic chlorinator or salt cell. Note their age if labels are visible. In older villas built in the 1990s or early 2000s, original pumps may be past their useful life even if they still run.

The electrical panel that feeds the pump and lights should be dry, labelled, and fitted with an RCD/earth-leakage breaker. If you smell burnt plastic, see scorch marks on terminals, or notice exposed wiring near the waterline, stop the inspection and call a licensed electrician before touching anything else. Water and electricity near a pool are not something to troubleshoot yourself.

• Run the pump by hand (with permission) and listen: steady hum is fine; grinding, rattling, or a pump that trips the breaker is not.
• Check whether chlorine is dosed automatically or added manually each day – this changes your ongoing maintenance cost significantly.
• Make sure chemical drums are stored off the ground, away from direct sun, and clearly labelled. Never mix different chlorine products; if you see unmarked containers, ask the owner what is inside.

Hunting for Leaks

The simplest test: mark the current water level on the tile with a piece of tape, wait 24 hours on a dry day, and measure the drop. Normal evaporation in Bali's heat takes roughly 5–10 mm per day. A drop well beyond that suggests a leak somewhere in the plumbing, basin shell, or underground pipe run.

During the rainy season (roughly November to March) it is harder to read the water-level test because rain adds volume. If you can, schedule your viewing for a dry stretch. Also check the area around the septic tank connection if the villa is older; a failing soakaway can pull groundwater down and mimic a pool leak.

• Look for damp patches or algae streaks on the deck directly below the skimmer line or return jets.
• Ask whether the villa uses PDAM mains water, a bore well, or a rooftop rain tank. High mineral content accelerates corrosion on copper fittings and O-rings.
• If you spot a slow drip at the pump union or filter lid gasket, photograph it – I can quote a repair from the photo on WhatsApp rather than charging for a full site visit.

Paperwork and Permits

Before money changes hands, ask the owner or agent for any pool-related documents: the original installation permit, records of major repairs (pump replacement, tile re-grouting, chemical system upgrade), and a log of who services the pool and how often. In Sanur many villas are managed by a local caretaker who handles chemicals daily; knowing that arrangement transfers with the lease or sale.

You do not need to be a lawyer, but having written confirmation that the pool was built to code and that no unauthorised structural work has been done near the basin will protect you if a neighbour complaint or municipal inspection ever arises.

• Request copies, not just verbal assurances.
• Note the name and contact of the current pool-maintenance person so you can verify their service history independently.

Questions to Ask the Owner or Agent

A short conversation goes further than any checklist. Ask directly: when was the last time the pump or filter was serviced? What brand and type of chlorine or salt system is in use? Has there ever been a leak, and how was it fixed? Is the water source PDAM, well, or tank – and does the villa have a softener or pre-filter on the supply line?

If answers are vague or the owner seems surprised by your questions, treat that as information in itself. You are not being difficult; you are protecting yourself from an unexpected repair bill three months into your tenancy or ownership.

• Ask whether the pool is covered when not in use (a shade sail or solid cover cuts evaporation and keeps debris out).
• Confirm who is responsible for chemical top-ups during the first month after move-in.

Questions