Specification · Fathom Water v1
Fathom Water v1. The Fathom readiness standard for preventable water loss.
Fathom Water v1 defines the controls, verification, cadence, and audit trail a property must hold to be considered Fathom Verified for preventable water loss. The standard is designed to be referenced in loan covenants, insurance endorsements, and servicing agreements.
Fathom Water v1 is published under the Fathom Readiness Standards program, the family that will also include Fathom Freeze, Fathom Fire, Fathom Storm, and Fathom Vacant. Each standard is peril-specific and independently citable; the program is the umbrella under which they share governance, registry, and versioning policy.
Overview
Fathom Water v1 is a property-level readiness specification. It is asset-scoped, not portfolio-scoped, and produces a single verifiable certificate per asset with a defined expiry, exception register, and registry record.
Scope
Fathom Water v1 covers preventable, non-weather and freeze-driven interior water loss. It does not cover named-storm flood, sewer backup, or catastrophic perils, which are addressed by sibling standards on the roadmap (Fathom Storm, Fathom Freeze).
Control Domains
The standard evaluates an asset across eight tiers. Each tier has weighted sub-controls; the per-tier score is the sum of verified sub-control weight divided by the sum of applicable sub-control weight. The composite is the WaterScore, weighted across tiers as shown. These tiers, weights, and sub-controls are the same structure rendered on every Readiness Record.
T0 · 25%
Governance & Response Readiness
Cadence · Annual
What happens in the first sixty minutes of a leak. If this tier fails, every other tier is academic.
- w2Written water-loss response plan on file (dated within 12 months)
- w2Named on-call owner and named backup, both reachable after hours
- w1Current insurer, broker, and TPA contacts in the plan
- w2Restoration partner identified and pre-authorized
- w1Escalation tree (who calls whom in the first 60 minutes)
- w1After-hours / weekend / holiday coverage documented
T1 · 25%
Active Controls
Cadence · Annual
The hardware and monitoring that stops a leak from becoming a loss.
- w2Main shutoff located, labeled, accessible, operable
- w1Zone / riser shutoffs mapped to a current floorplan
- w1Fixture-level stops present and functional
- w2Automatic shutoff valve at main or high-risk zones
- w2Leak-detection sensors: count, coverage, battery, connectivity
- w1Active monitoring service (last alert-path test on file)
T2 · 15%
Plumbing Systems
Cadence · On age & condition
Material, age, and condition of supply, drain, and water-heating systems.
- w2Supply-line material(s) and installed year
- w1Drain / waste / vent material and age
- w1Static water pressure (psi)
- w1Pressure-reducing valve present and within spec
- w2Water heater type, age, location, drain pan, expansion tank
- w1Seismic strapping where code requires; recirculation condition
- w1Open work orders and known repairs in the last 24 months
T3 · 10%
Envelope & Water Intrusion
Cadence · Biennial
The building's resistance to weather-driven water.
- w2Roof material, installed year, visible condition
- w1Flashing condition at penetrations, valleys, wall intersections
- w1Gutter condition, capacity, debris load
- w1Downspout extensions discharge ≥4–6 ft from foundation
- w1Window and door perimeter seals; sill pan condition
- w1Below-grade walls, basement, crawlspace moisture readings
- w1Sump pump (if present): age, backup power, discharge path
T4 · 7%
Site & Drainage
Cadence · Biennial
How the lot moves water away from the structure.
- w2Positive lot grade, measured fall over first 10 ft
- w1Surface drainage paths clear; no re-grade required
- w1Hardscape pitch (patios, walks, drives) away from structure
- w1Irrigation backflow, controller, recent leak history
- w1Irrigation zone proximity to foundation/slab
- w1Tree-root proximity to laterals and main supply
- w1Storm-sewer connection condition where applicable
T5 · 8%
Appliances & Fixtures
Cadence · Annual
Point-of-use failures that drive the long tail of claims.
- w2Washing machine hose type, age, shutoff, drain pan
- w1Dishwasher supply line and drain loop
- w1Refrigerator ice-maker line material and shutoff
- w1Toilet supply lines and fill valves; visible corrosion
- w1HVAC condensate lines and primary pan
- w1Secondary drain pan with float switch on attic / above-ceiling installs
- w1Boiler / hydronic systems where present
T6 · 5%
History & Claims
Cadence · On change
What the building has already taught us about its failure modes.
- w2Five-year loss history pulled and on file
- w1Prior water claims with cause, payout, repair scope
- w1Prior repairs to plumbing, roof, envelope
- w1Open work orders / deferred maintenance flagged
- w1Adjacent-unit / adjacent-property loss data noted
T7 · 5%
Documentation Pack
Cadence · On change
Evidence indexed and chain-of-custody, what the carrier actually receives.
- w2Photo evidence for every Tier 1–5 line item
- w1Shutoff location map (PDF) annotated to floorplan
- w1Response plan (PDF) with current contacts
- w1Restoration partner agreement on file
- w1Serial numbers: water heater, ASV, monitoring system
- w1Floorplan with annotated shutoffs and sensor locations
- w1Sign-off by named assessor (date + credential reference)
Tier weights sum to 100.
Item & Tier Status Vocabulary
Every assessed item on a Readiness Record carries exactly one of four statuses. Tier rollup status is derived from the items, not entered by an assessor.
Tier rollup status is one of Verified (all assessed items Verified), Partially Verified (one or more In Review, none Open), Gaps Identified (one or more Open), or Not Applicable (no applicable items).
Bands & Gate Logic
The displayed band is the citable threshold referenced in covenants and endorsements; it is a pure function of the WaterScore and the gate. Raw bands are read directly from the score; the gate caps the displayed band when a critical-tier or documentation condition is unmet.
Gate. The displayed band is capped at Conditional when (a) any item in Tier 0 (Governance & Response) or Tier 1 (Active Controls) is Open, or (b) the Tier 7 documentation pack is below the documentation gate threshold. Displayed band = min(raw band, gate cap). The raw WaterScore itself is never modified by the gate.
Verification Levels
Fathom Water v1 supports three verification levels. The level achieved is stamped on the record and is queryable in the registry.
Cadence & Exception Triggers
Records carry a defined expiry and a set of triggers that require re-verification or open an exception.
Registry Schema
Every record is recorded with a stable identifier, queryable by lender, insurer, servicer, and owner. The schema below is normative.
{
"record_id": "fw-2026-000123", // ^fw-\d{4}-\d{6}(-sample)?$
"standard": "Fathom Water",
"version": "1.0",
"asset_id": "string",
"verification": "L1" | "L2" | "L3",
"score": 0-100, // raw WaterScore
"band": "Preferred" | "Standard" | "Conditional" | "Restricted",
"status": "active" | "expired" | "withdrawn", // lifecycle, not band
"issued_at": "ISO-8601",
"expires_at": "ISO-8601",
"open_gaps": number, // count of Open items only
"in_review": number, // count of In Review items
"issuer": "Fathom Readiness",
"registry_url": "https://fathomreadiness.com/verify/<record_id>"
}Versioning Policy
Fathom Water follows semantic versioning at the standard level. Major versions reset verification; minor versions are backward-compatible refinements; patch versions are editorial.
Change Log
Contact
Fathom Water v1 is in public draft. Comments, dissent, and proposed amendments are welcome from lenders, insurers, owners, counsel, and assessors. Submit a comment →