For multifamily buildings and condo associations with 4 units or more

Cut your water costs by empowering residents to identify and report leaks and running toilets right away. The Resident Leak Sweep is a free program for apartments and condos. We’ll provide on-the-ground support and all the materials to teach residents how to spot running toilets and report leaks right away.

If water use in your building has increased over time, it may be because of running toilets and other small leaks adding up. Relying on self-reporting or annual walk-throughs can let costly leaks go unrepaired for months. Just one running toilet can use as much water as taking 15 showers a day! Let us help get residents on your team to reduce water waste.

Hosting a Resident Leak Sweep takes about 2 weeks from start to finish. At the end of the sweep residents will fill out a door hanger, reporting if they found any leaks in their units, and we’ll send you a summary report for maintenance staff to follow up on.

The free Resident Leak Sweep includes:

• Door hanger survey, email templates, and signs that explain how to identify a running toilet and ask residents to report any leaks they find right away. Translated materials are available.
• On-the-ground support. We’ll go to your building to hang posters and distribute door hangers to each unit, and then collect them again a few days later.
• A summary of leaks reported by residents for your maintenance staff to follow up on.

Is my property eligible?

Your property may be eligible if:

• You own or manage a multifamily property with 4 units or more.
• Your property receives a water bill from one of the Saving Water Partnership member utilities.
• Someone is available to support the Resident Leak Sweep by communicating with residents about the program, providing access to the building so we can hang posters and collect doorhangers, and can coordinate with maintenance staff to repair any leaks identified during the sweep.

Tips to make the Resident Leak Sweep more successful:

• Hold a community meeting with our staff to explain the project to residents ahead of time and answer any questions.
• Let us know what languages your residents speak so that we can provide translated materials.
• Set a participation goal and offer an incentive if residents reach it. For example, host a grab-and-go pizza party or coffee cart if 80% or more units in your community participate.

To schedule or ask questions:

Contact Indoor Water Conservation Program Manager, Melissa Levo, at melissa.levo@seattle.gov or (206) 615-1282.