Buyer checking a pool route before signing
Pool route due diligence checklist
The short answer
Pool route due diligence means verifying, account by account, that the recurring revenue is real, the customers are likely to stay, the stops fit your route, and the handoff is planned. Check twelve months of billing against payments, customer tenure and recent cancellations, current prices against the market, stop locations and drive time, service history and problem pools, open balances, and exactly what data and responsibilities transfer at closing.
1. Revenue
- Recurring monthly price for every account matches recent invoices
- Invoices match payments actually received over the last 12 months
- Repairs and one-off work are separated from recurring revenue
- No accounts are counted that have paused or stopped paying
2. Retention
- Start date for every account (tenure)
- List of cancellations in the last 12 months and why
- Accounts added in the last 90 days, flagged separately
- Any customers who already said they may leave
3. Pricing health
- Date of the last price increase
- Accounts priced well below your normal rate
- Whether chemicals are included in the price
4. Density and fit
- Broad location of each stop relative to your current routes
- Service day and frequency per account
- Gated communities, access codes or time-window requirements
- Realistic stops per hour once added to your route
5. Service quality and problem pools
- Service history and chemistry readings for recent visits
- Pools with repeat algae, leaks or equipment failures
- Open repair estimates the customer is expecting
6. Equipment
- Pump, filter, heater and automation per body of water
- Equipment age and any known issues
- Warranties and who holds them
7. Money owed and autopay
- Open balances per account and who keeps them
- Customers on autopay — note that payment authorizations do not transfer and must be set up again
- Prepaid service that the buyer will be expected to deliver
8. Handoff
1Customer introduction
Who tells customers, when, and with what message.
2Operating data
Customers, properties, equipment, history and schedule move to the buyer's system.
3Retention terms
What happens to the price if accounts leave in the first months.
4Seller support
How long the seller is available for questions and introductions.
Frequently asked questions
- How long does pool route due diligence take?
- For a small set of accounts it can be days; for a full business it often takes weeks. It depends mostly on how quickly the seller can produce clean records.
- What is the most important thing to verify?
- That recurring revenue is real and likely to stay: billed versus paid amounts and customer tenure, account by account.
- Does autopay transfer when I buy a pool route?
- No. Payment credentials and autopay authorizations do not transfer; customers set up payment again with the buyer.
Written by POOLIO Editorial Team · Published · Last updated . Spot something out of date? Send us a correction.