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I've seen a few threads on here about underground oil tanks (ex: Interested in a home, underground oil tank was removed but no "No Further Action" letter yet?)
My DD will be house-hunting in Bergen County in a few months. Is this something that she should have addressed with any house she might be interested in? Would she need ( or should she ask for) something specifically in writing confirming that there is no under ground oil tank on the property? I'm not aware of that being an issue here on LI...
Well, it depends on how old the house is. If DD is looking at newer houses, it's not an issue.
I really haven't come across too many "newer" houses in Bergen Co. that DD could come close to affording! Most are expanded capes from the 40's/50's but also most have basements. Does having a basement negate the possibilty of an underground tank? I kind of assume (perhaps incorrectly) that it would only be an issue with a no-basement house??
basements can still have tanks. It may not be under the basement, but rather in the backyard underground.
Usually a permit is filed and there is paperwork that the tank has been decommissioned. In that case it has been removed or another alternative is drained and filled.
If there is no paperwork, look for signs of an oil tank, and then either see if you can work with the seller to have them do the work.
If you buy the house and the tank has leaked, it can cost big buck to clean up. We've decommissioned two tanks so far with no problems.
I've seen a few threads on here about underground oil tanks (ex: Interested in a home, underground oil tank was removed but no "No Further Action" letter yet?)
My DD will be house-hunting in Bergen County in a few months. Is this something that she should have addressed with any house she might be interested in? Would she need ( or should she ask for) something specifically in writing confirming that there is no under ground oil tank on the property? I'm not aware of that being an issue here on LI...
There are houses in LI with underground tanks. A customer of mine had one, and when he heard what happened to mine in NJ he had it removed, and had an above the ground one installed. Make sure even if house has gas that there was never a tank underground.
The seller has to disclose if there is an underground oil tank, even if it's empty or filled with sand. The buyer should make the seller pay to have it removed even if it's empty or filled with sand, and have the soil around it checked for contamination and cleaned up.
The seller has to disclose if there is an underground oil tank, even if it's empty or filled with sand. The buyer should make the seller pay to have it removed even if it's empty or filled with sand, and have the soil around it checked for contamination and cleaned up.
My insurance company had a client who the seller did not diclose it. They said the house was always gas. Well there was a underground tank, and it was leaking and big $. The insurance company would not cover it, and the former owners had taken off and moved to India. As I said be very careful.
I sold a house with a leaking oil tank once. It was a nightmare. We had it tested three years earlier and it wasn't leaking, and then lo and behold, when we tried to sell it, it was.
I guess if you have reason to suspect there is an underground oil tank (an older home) you should always hire your own inspector. They are super easy to find, all you need is a metal detector. They're usually close to the house, and sometimes there's one near the garage, if it's a separate garage. They used to heat the garages way back when!
We just removed our tank with wiley and it was a very easy process, went smooth, now just waiting on refund from the NJDEPA grant. Might as well do it now and not worry about it later.
I am going to agree with clevedark:
The seller has to disclose if there is an underground oil tank, even if it's empty or filled with sand. The buyer should make the seller pay to have it removed even if it's empty or filled with sand, and have the soil around it checked for contamination and cleaned up.
If the tank was properly filled with sand, testing completed and everything was fine, why should the seller pay to have it removed? There is a sand-filled tank under my property and we had all the testing done and everything was fine. There's no way I would waste any money to remove a tank that poses no risk.
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