Home Utility Readiness Checklist

I have walked through enough half-finished apartments and newly handed-over villas to know one thing: most homebuyers check the paint, the tiles, and the view from the balcony before they check anything that actually keeps the house running. I understand the impulse. A water meter box tucked behind the parking area or a gas riser running along the staircase wall does not photograph well. But those are precisely the things that determine whether your mornings will start with a working shower or a phone call to the maintenance desk.

This checklist exists because I wanted something I could hand to a friend or a family member before they signed a sale agreement. It is not a government compliance document. It is not a replacement for a professional inspection. It is simply what I have learned to look for — first as someone who spent years around industrial pipeline networks, and later as someone who started paying attention to how those same principles apply (or fail to apply) in residential developments across India.

Use it when you visit a property. Take photos. Ask questions. And if something does not add up, pause before you commit.

Why utility readiness matters before you buy

Builders in India have become remarkably good at finishing the visible parts of a home. The lobby looks polished. The sample flat feels aspirational. But the utility backbone — the water supply lines, the gas distribution network, the sewage collection system — often lags behind the marketing brochure. Sometimes it is a phasing issue: the network is planned but not yet commissioned. Sometimes it is a shortcut: pipes are undersized, joints are poorly sealed, or the promised connection to the municipal trunk line exists only on paper.

Either way, the result lands on you. A home without reliable water pressure. A kitchen where the gas supply is “coming soon” for six months. A bathroom where the drain gurgles every time it rains. These are not minor inconveniences. They affect your daily life, your health, and eventually your resale value.

The checklist below is organized by utility type. I have kept it practical — things you can verify with your own eyes, and things you should ask about in writing.

Water supply: what to check

Water in Indian residential projects comes from one of three sources: municipal supply, borewell, or tanker delivery. Most townships use a combination. The question is not just whether water reaches your tap, but whether it reaches it reliably, at adequate pressure, and in a condition you can safely use.

• Source clarity: Ask the builder or RWA to confirm — in writing — the primary and backup water sources for the project. If borewells are involved, ask about the depth, yield, and water quality test reports. A borewell that runs dry in March is a problem you inherit.
• Storage capacity: Look at the overhead and underground tanks. Do the math: a family of four typically needs 500–600 litres per day for comfortable use. Multiply that by the number of days the builder claims the storage supports. If the numbers do not match, ask why.
• Pressure at the tap: Turn on a tap in the highest-floor unit you can access. If the water trickles out without a pump running, the gravity head is insufficient. You will be dependent on a booster pump — and on uninterrupted electricity to run it.
• Pipe material and sizing: Exposed piping in utility shafts or parking areas tells you a lot. CPVC and HDPE are standard for potable water. Galvanised iron is still used in some older-style projects — it corrodes over time. Look at the diameter. A 15 mm branch line feeding a bathroom with a shower and a geyser will struggle.
• Metering: Is there an individual water meter for the unit, or is consumption billed on a flat-rate or shared basis? Individual metering protects you from paying for your neighbour’s habits.
• Treatment and quality: If the project has a water treatment plant, ask to see it. A locked door with no one around to open it tells you something. Request the most recent water quality test report. Check for TDS, hardness, and bacterial contamination — not just for drinking water, but for the supply entering your flat.

Gas supply: what to check

Piped natural gas is becoming standard in many Indian cities, but the rollout is uneven. Some projects have the infrastructure in place but no gas flowing yet. Others rely entirely on LPG cylinders. The distinction matters for safety, convenience, and long-term cost.

• Connection status: If the builder advertises PNG, ask whether the connection is active or only “provisioned.” A riser pipe running up the building with a blanked-off branch near your kitchen means the infrastructure exists but the meter and final hookup are pending. Get a timeline.
• Gas company agreement: In cities served by Indraprastha Gas, Mahanagar Gas, Gujarat Gas, or similar CGD networks, the builder should have a formal agreement with the gas utility. Ask for a copy or at least the reference number. If they cannot produce it, the “provisioned” connection may not be as close as they suggest.
• Pipe routing and accessibility: Walk the common areas. Gas risers should be mounted externally or in ventilated shafts — never enclosed in a way that traps leaking gas. Look for shutoff valves at each floor or each branch. If a fire or leak event occurs, someone needs to be able to isolate the supply quickly.
• Leak testing: If the gas is already live, ask when the last leak test was conducted and whether a certificate is available. A soap-solution test at accessible joints is a quick field check, but a proper manometer test is what you want documented.
• LPG contingency: If PNG is promised but not yet active, understand the LPG cylinder storage arrangement in the interim. Cylinders stored in unventilated cupboards directly below a gas hob are a fire hazard. The kitchen should have a designated, ventilated cylinder space with a secure hose connection.

Sewer and drainage: what to check

Of the three utilities, sewerage is the one most likely to be overlooked entirely. It is underground. It is unpleasant to think about. And when it fails, it fails spectacularly — backing up into bathrooms, overflowing from manholes, and creating health hazards that no amount of interior design can fix.

• Connection to municipal sewer: Not all projects connect to a municipal trunk line. Some rely on on-site sewage treatment plants with discharge into a nearby drain or water body. Ask which applies, and verify the consent or NOC from the relevant pollution control board if an STP is involved.
• STP condition and capacity: If there is an STP, visit it. A well-maintained plant does not smell overpoweringly bad. Ask about the treatment capacity in kilolitres per day and compare it to the project’s estimated wastewater generation. An undersized STP means untreated overflow during peak hours.
• Gradient and flow: Gravity sewer lines need slope to work. In flat sites, this requires careful grading during construction. If the project is in a low-lying area, ask whether sewage pumps are installed and whether they have backup power. A pump station without generator support is a flood waiting to happen during a monsoon power cut.
• Manhole covers and vent pipes: Walk the perimeter. Manhole covers should be seated properly, not cracked or missing. Vent pipes extending above the roofline allow sewer gases to escape safely. If vents are absent or blocked, those gases find their way into bathrooms through floor drains.
• Bathroom traps and seals: Inside the flat, run water in every bathroom and listen. A properly installed trap — P-trap or bottle trap — holds a water seal that blocks sewer gas. If a bathroom has not been used for a while and you smell sewage, the water seal may have evaporated, or the trap may be poorly installed. Both are fixable, but repeated issues suggest a venting problem deeper in the system.
• Stormwater separation: Ask whether stormwater and sewage networks are separate. Combined systems overload during heavy rain, sending diluted sewage into streets and water bodies — and sometimes back into ground-floor homes. Separate networks are standard in well-planned townships, but compliance varies.

Documentation: what to ask for in writing

Verbal assurances from a sales executive carry no weight when something goes wrong. I have learned this the hard way, watching buyers struggle to get commitments honoured after possession. Here is what you should request as part of your due diligence — ideally included in the sale agreement or provided as annexures.

• Completion or occupancy certificate: This confirms the building complies with approved plans, including utility provisions. Without it, the municipal authority has not signed off on the water, sewer, or electrical connections as safe and compliant.
• Utility provider agreements: Copies of agreements or correspondence with the water board, gas company, and electricity distribution company confirming the project’s sanctioned load and connection status.
• STP consent order: If applicable, the consent to operate from the State Pollution Control Board, along with the designed capacity and discharge standards.
• Water test reports: Dated within the last six months, from a NABL-accredited laboratory, covering the parameters relevant to your region.
• As-built utility drawings: These show the actual layout of water, gas, and sewer lines as constructed — not as planned. They are invaluable if you ever need to trace a leak or plan renovations.

A few things I have noticed over the years

Some patterns repeat across cities and price segments. Here are a handful worth keeping in mind.

Phase-wise delivery creates utility gaps. A project delivered in phases often has Phase 1 residents living with temporary utility arrangements while Phase 3 is still under construction. Temporary water tankers, shared generators, and uncommissioned STPs are common. Ask whether the utilities serving your unit are permanent or interim.

High-rise buildings need booster systems — and backup for those boosters. Above roughly seven or eight storeys, municipal water pressure alone will not reach upper floors. Booster pumps with pressure tanks are essential. Equally essential: generator or inverter backup for those pumps. No electricity means no water on the 15th floor, even if the tank on the ground floor is full.

Gas pipelines in kitchens should have a shutoff valve you can reach. It sounds obvious, but I have seen kitchens where the gas valve is hidden behind a fixed cabinet panel or buried behind the refrigerator. In an emergency, you need to turn off the gas in seconds, not minutes.

Monsoon reveals everything. If you can, visit the property during or just after heavy rain. Look for water pooling around manholes, stormwater drains backing up, and damp patches on ground-floor walls. A project that drains well in the rain is a project where the underground work was done properly.

Who this checklist is for

I wrote this for first-time homebuyers who feel out of their depth when the conversation shifts from square footage to sewer gradients. I also wrote it for investors who want to assess whether a property’s infrastructure will hold its value over a decade or more. And honestly, I wrote it for myself — to put down on a page the things I have learned to check, so I do not forget any of them the next time someone asks me to walk through a property with them.

If you are reading this before a site visit, print it or save it on your phone. Walk the property slowly. Take notes. The sales team may not have answers to every question on the spot — that is fine. What matters is whether they get back to you with credible answers, backed by documents, before you make a decision.

If you have questions about anything on this list, or if you encountered something during a property visit that did not seem right and you want a second opinion, you can reach me through the contact page on this site. I cannot inspect every property, but I can help you think through what you are looking at.

Last updated: December 2024. This checklist reflects practices commonly observed in Indian residential projects. Local regulations and project-specific conditions vary. Always consult a qualified engineer or legal advisor for decisions specific to your property.

— Rajesh Iyer