Renter's Quick Guide to Water Testing & Filtration

If you live in a rental property, you might be wondering how you can manage your water quality. In the following guide, we’ll explore the types of possible water contaminants in an apartment building, rental home, or condo, as well as how to test your city water and what types of treatment systems are best when you don’t own your own home.

Table of Contents:

• Contaminants of Concern for Renters
• The Importance of Water Testing as a Renter
• Water Treatment for Renters
• Ready to Test Your Tap Water?

Common Tap Water Contaminants When Renting

As a renter looking to better understand your water quality, you might ask yourself: What contaminants should I worry about?

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The answer depends on a couple of initial considerations:

1. Whether your tap water comes from a public utility (aka “city water”) or from a private well 
2. Whether or not your rented home, apartment, or condominium was built prior to 1988 (the year that the ban on lead in pipes used for plumbing was fully enforced)

As far as number one is concerned, this guide will focus exclusively on contaminants renters might face while on public utility water.

(If your rented home or apartment is connected to a private well, take a look at our Ultimate Guide to Well Water Contaminants.)

As for number two, if your residence was built before 1988, your leading contaminant of concern is lead.

• Buildings constructed before the late 1980s may still have pipes, solder, or fixtures made of lead, which can leach into your drinking water, especially if the pipes have begun deteriorating from age. 
• You can ask your landlord if the building has any lead pipes or plumbing components, or if the water has been tested recently for lead.
• Just because a building was built after 1988 does not mean its plumbing does not contain lead! A small amount of lead is still allowed in certain fixtures even today, it is just less likely for newer construction.

Ultimate Guide to Lead (Pb) in Drinking Water

Note: The pipes connecting the public water main and your building may consist of multiple plumbing material types including, but not limited to, lead, copper, galvanized iron, and plastic. Older plastic piping can also leach chemicals that can impact water quality.

City Water Contaminants of Concern for Renters

• Heavy metals (incl. lead, copper, iron, manganese, arsenic)
• Hardness minerals like calcium and magnesium
• Disinfection byproducts like THMs and HAAs

Heavy metal contamination of water is often the result of deteriorating pipes, though not exclusively. Heavy metals can also end up in your tap water as a result of local issues impacting the water supply. For example, utilities that source their water from arsenic-rich aquifers may have higher than acceptable levels of arsenic. Some metals can cause aesthetic effects, like making water taste metallic. Other heavy metals (like lead and arsenic) have no taste or smell at all.

High concentrations of hardness minerals can cause hard water, which is a very common issue impacting renters and is usually the result of the utility’s water source. While relatively harmless, hard water can cause limescale buildup in pipes and appliances; it can also affect hair and skin.

Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are an unfortunate but inevitable result of water treatment. DBPs are formed as a result of chlorine and chloramine disinfection of water supplies at the treatment plant. Certain DBPs are regulated by the EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Additionally, you should pay attention to any contaminants unique to your region. Your utility’s annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) mailer or Tap Score’s City Water Project can give you insights into various contaminants that have been detected based on your geographical location. Some good examples include arsenic (mentioned above) and uranium for utilities that use groundwater.

Why Should Renters Test Their Drinking Water?

Understanding what’s in your water and how it might impact you can help guide the decision to treat your water or not.

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It’s best to have detailed information about your water quality before investing in treatment products. Assuming there must be something wrong with your tap water can force you into buying a device you don’t actually need, or buying treatment products that can’t address what’s actually in your water.

However, if

• You have kids at home or are expecting a child
• You have certain health conditions, or
• You’re just not that thrilled with the taste of your tap water,

then having it tested by a certified laboratory is the best way to get unbiased information to help guide your next steps.

How to Test Water in an Apartment

You can test your water in a rented apartment, condominium, or home using easy-to-use mail-in test kits that send your sample out for analysis by certified laboratories. All you need to do is take a sample at your tap, you don’t need access to any other areas of your building.

Tap Score’s Advanced City water test offers analysis for 111 different analytes—including lead, disinfection byproducts, and water chemistry parameters (like pH and hardness minerals). It provides the ideal baseline picture of water quality for any rented home or building on a municipal water supply.

Who Pays for a Water Test When Renting?

That depends. There is no cut-and-dry law that states whether a landlord or a tenant is responsible for water testing. According to the law of most states, a landlord’s obligation is to provide a habitable premise (as implied in the Warrant of Habitability), which means your home should have functioning plumbing that provides safe water.

Whether or not testing the water is a part of that responsibility depends on your lease agreement and/or your local/state jurisdiction as well as other specifics, such as the source of the contamination. We recommended contacting licensed attorneys for legal counsel if you’re uncertain.

Remember: Because a landlord may not be required to, you can test your water and bring your findings to their attention. It is sometimes possible to get your landlord to reimburse you. Alternatively, some local health departments or water utilities offer a form of free water testing. 

Along with always opting to have your water tested by a certified laboratory—avoid any attempt to test water with DIY water testing strips.

Water Treatment for Renters

If the results of your water test indicate you have concerning contaminants in your water, you’ll want to consider the appropriate treatment. The three most important factors when thinking about water treatment for renters are:

• Cost
• Space
• Landlord limitations

Generally, there are two types of water treatment:

• POU (point-of-use)
• POE (point-of-entry)

For the most part, installing a POE treatment system—one that treats water at the point where water enters the home or building from the service line—will be out of the question for renters. They are also significant investments.

Common POU Treatment Systems for Renters

• Pitcher filters
• Countertop and gravity-fed systems
• Under-sink systems
• Refrigerator filters
• Shower filters

Note: Because filtration claims are not regulated by government agencies, third-party testing and certification organizations (e.g. NSF, WQA, IAPMO) have stepped in to help guide consumer decisions. Companies can opt to get their products certified by these organizations, offering peace of mind that the filter will meet the claims on the box. NSF/ANSI Certifications Explained

• Pitcher Filters
  Pitcher filters by brands like Brita, PUR, Soma, etc. are handheld pitchers of varying capacities with integrated filter cartridges that filter the water you fill them with. Most pitcher filters use some form of activated carbon technology, which is a type of adsorptive media filter. These allow contaminants to bind to the filter media as the water percolates down the chamber. Some include other technologies, like ion exchange, as well to increase the types of contaminants removed.
  
  Pitcher filters are great entry-level filter systems for dealing with common aesthetic issues (like the taste of chlorine). Some filter cartridges are also certified for contaminants that impact health, like lead.
  
  Pitcher filters will typically NOT filter out:
  • Fluoride
  • Nitrates
  • Bacteria, protozoa, viruses, and other waterborne pathogens
  • Arsenic

• Countertop and Gravity-fed Filters
  These are larger filter setups that work better for larger families and residences with counter space to spare, thanks in large part to their capacity. Common countertop and gravity-fed filters are manufactured by brands like Berkey, Brita, Waterdrop, and Aquasana.
  
  Countertop filters can come in one of two general types:
  1. Primary technology is activated carbon (like a large pitcher filter), or
  2. Primary technology is reverse osmosis
  
  

  Countertop filters of the first type will often remove similar contaminants to pitcher filters. They are generally more expensive because they are larger and typically include multiple treatment technologies. 

  Reverse osmosis-based filters will remove a wider range of contaminants than the carbon-based variety, including:
  • Fluoride
  • Nitrates
  • Dissolved salts (sodium, chloride, potassium)
  • Heavy metals
  • PFAS compounds
    
    
• Under-sink Systems
  Similar to countertop systems, under-sink filters can be made up of different technologies but typically utilize activated carbon or reverse osmosis.
  
  However, these systems can dramatically increase costs over simpler options like pitcher filters and countertop filters. And because they interact with the plumbing of the kitchen sink, they may be prohibited by landlords.
  
  
• Refrigerator Filters
  Refrigerator filters are often a feature of higher quality refrigerators; they typically filter water straight from the sink’s water line and dispense it from the refrigerator. Most rentals already include refrigerators so this is unlikely to be something you can opt for if it’s not already in place.
  
  Refrigerator filters are typically composed of activated carbon and function similarly to pitcher filters. They’re great for taste and odor issues and may be certified for the reduction of other contaminants, like lead and volatile organic contaminants.
  
  
• Shower Filters
  Shower filters are a common option for those who have experienced issues with tap water and sensitive hair and/or skin. However, it’s worth noting they typically address chlorine issues; shower filters are not necessarily water softeners.

Bottom Line: Determining which filter is right for you depends on testing your water first. That way, you skip the hassle of opting for a filter that isn’t right for your water’s specific contaminants. The best filtration setup in a rental depends on factors like budget, space, and lease specifics.

Tap Score’s team of water science experts are always on hand to answer any of your water-related needs.

Ready to Test?

Testing your tap water as a renter is easy. With Tap Score, you’re accessing a nationwide network of certified laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment. The results are delivered in an easy-to-read report that includes health and plumbing-related analysis, along with treatment recommendations that take your results into account. You might find out your water doesn’t need treatment at all!

Our entry-level test offers a basic picture of water quality in any home or building served by a public water utility. Lab results will include detailed analysis of common water health concerns and in particular, contamination from questionable plumbing and distribution lines, including a quick, five-day turnaround.

Core Kit

Advanced City Water Test

111 Analytes Tested

$290.00

Add to cart

Core Kit

Advanced City Water Test

111 Analytes Tested

Ideal baseline for testing tap water provided by a local water utility–including metals, minerals, and chlorine-related byproducts.

Regular price $290.00

Regular price $325.00 Sale price $290.00

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QUICK VIEW

The Advanced test offers detailed analysis of common water health concerns along with organic chemistry parameters including frequently detected disinfection byproducts from the addition of chlorine and chloramine.

It’s simple: Testing your water from the get-go gives you all the information you need to understand your water quality—and whether or not you need to invest in filtration devices.