Pumping tickets, maintenance contracts and inspection agreements, signed

What a septic company gets signed

• Pumping work orderTank size and compartments, locating and digging to the lids, riser installation, the price per gallon or per tank, and extra charges for long hose runs.
• Service report acknowledgmentWhat you found: sludge and scum levels, baffle condition, the effluent filter, standing water over the drainfield. The homeowner signs that they received it.
• Aerobic system maintenance contractRoutine visits, testing, chlorine or disinfection, response time to a complaint, and who your licensed maintenance provider is.
• Inspection agreementFor a home sale: the seller's permission to dig, what the inspection covers and what it can't predict, and who gets the report.
• Installation or repair contractThe permitted design, the drainfield or tank work, how you price rock or bad soil found on the dig, and lawn restoration. Use a change order when the ground surprises you.
• Property damage releaseA loaded truck on a lawn or a soft driveway can leave ruts. Say where you'll park and what you will and won't repair.

Aerobic maintenance contracts in Texas

Some states tie the maintenance contract to the permit. Texas is one: under the TCEQ's on-site sewage facility rules, 30 TAC § 285.7, the owner of a new system that needs a maintenance contract, such as an aerobic treatment unit, must give the permitting authority a copy of the signed initial two-year service policy before the system is approved for use. After that, unless the homeowner maintains the system themselves where that's allowed, a signed maintenance contract must reach the permitting authority at least 30 days before the current one expires.

The same rule sets the minimum contents of a maintenance contract: the items covered, how soon you'll respond to a complaint, the name of the responsible maintenance provider, how often you do routine maintenance and testing, who maintains the disinfection unit, and your business address and phone number. Build those into your template once and every contract carries them. The rule also says the maintenance provider must sign all maintenance reports. Other states and counties have their own rules, so check with your permitting authority.

Renewals without the phone tag

1. 1

   Make the contract a template

   Upload your maintenance contract and add labeled text boxes for the homeowner, the system address, the permit number and the contract dates. Whatever goes in a text box prints in the contract.

2. 2

   Send early, from a list

   Export the contracts expiring in the next two or three months as a CSV and bulk send the renewal. Each row becomes its own envelope, SignMaster's word for one send, with that customer's details filled in.

3. 3

   Let reminders chase

   Set a sign-by date well ahead of the county deadline. Automatic reminders go out as it gets close, and the batch shows who still hasn't signed.

4. 4

   Forward the signed copy

   When the homeowner signs, both of you get the sealed PDF with its certificate of completion. Send it to the permitting authority the way they accept submissions.

Solo sends up to 250 rows at a time, Crew 500 and Company 1000, and every row is its own private envelope.

At the tank and at the closing table

For a pumping call, fill the work order on your phone and choose Sign in person before the hose goes down. A Photo field can capture the lid or a cracked baffle during signing and print it inside the signed PDF. Owners who live elsewhere, like landlords and estates, sign from an email link on any phone or computer.

For a home sale inspection, send the inspection agreement to the seller by link and add the buyer's agent as a CC, so everyone has the same signed terms before you dig. A seller who's moved out of state signs without an account. If the report comes back with repairs, the repair contract can go to the seller the same day.

Pricing

Crew is $49 a month for 5 people, so drivers, the maintenance provider and the office share templates. An owner who runs the truck alone fits Solo at $15 a month. Paid plans send unlimited envelopes, so renewing every aerobic customer costs nothing extra. New workspaces get 14 days of Crew free. Compare plans.

What SignMaster doesn't do

• It doesn't file contracts, pumping reports or inspection reports with the county or the state.
• It doesn't route trucks, track disposal or keep waste manifests.
• It doesn't take payments.
• It emails signing links. To text one, copy the link and send it from your phone.