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Thanks for all the input. There seems to be two schools of thought here - one group says - "RUN" and the other group says "NO PROBLEM" - lol.
I will definitely call the insurance company.
It's just that if you google "houses with buried tank", you get a laundry list of horror stories, and the risks that you end up taking. Wasn't sure if LI was a different market or such...
That will be the biggest investment of your life. Sounds like you won't sleep well REGARDLESS of the outcome.
Walk away.
I get what you all are saying - I just find the whole thing very irresponsible. Most of the people told me that nobody does a soil test because they don't want to know about any contamination. Which, to me sounds like "don't ask, don't tell". A tank that has been underground for so long since 1950s, could have been leaking for 10 years plus via small pinhole leaks, and they don't even care to know while the ground beneath them is being polluted.
At least when they abandon the tank, it STOPS any further leaking. But if it has been leaking already, how do they know? Do they examine the tank in the process of abandonment? What if they find holes at that time? I know they are not legally required to do any kind of testing at that point, but what guarantee do I have that they will even tell me about it - being that they are selling the house? (I know the answer to that already - NONE
Obviously you are losing sleep over this. Go find another house, preferably with gas.
Finding a home with gas doesn't solve his dilemma, as a lot of LI homes with gas still has an abandoned oil tank somewhere on the property. And no seller is going to put on heir listing there's a tank down there.
Finding a home with gas doesn't solve his dilemma, as a lot of LI homes with gas still has an abandoned oil tank somewhere on the property. And no seller is going to put on heir listing there's a tank down there.
Go find a vacant lot and build your new home.
lol excellent point! And in many cases the owner isn't even aware there is an abandoned tank on the property. OP I get your concern but you really should let it go, you got the best possible outcome. Thousands live with abandoned old tanks on their properties and are fine. Just move on. But if it's bothering you so much you can't live with it, maybe you should walk.
No offense OP but you sound like a PIA buyer. Just walk away and find another house. The sellers are doing the right thing. This burried oil tank is apparently a huge issue for you and it would be unfair to make unreasonable demands to the seller. Let someone else that won't be bothered with these issues as much as you have the house.
No offense OP but you sound like a PIA buyer. Just walk away and find another house. The sellers are doing the right thing. This burried oil tank is apparently a huge issue for you and it would be unfair to make unreasonable demands to the seller. Let someone else that won't be bothered with these issues as much as you have the house.
I DID walk away - I made that decision a while back. The whole thing still upsets me that people just aren't concerned with the environment, especially when the water table on Long Island is so high - (easily contaminated). I don't think it's unreasonable to think people will be responsible and take care of the house. Suffolk county sanitary code recommends underground oil tanks be tested periodically. If more people did that, this wouldn't be an issue.
I DID walk away - I made that decision a while back. The whole thing still upsets me that people just aren't concerned with the environment, especially when the water table on Long Island is so high - (easily contaminated). I don't think it's unreasonable to think people will be responsible and take care of the house. Suffolk county sanitary code recommends underground oil tanks be tested periodically. If more people did that, this wouldn't be an issue.
As i stated earlier, look for house with gas. But, have the soil tested anyway, it could be contaminated from too much fertilizer.
I DID walk away - I made that decision a while back. The whole thing still upsets me that people just aren't concerned with the environment, especially when the water table on Long Island is so high - (easily contaminated). I don't think it's unreasonable to think people will be responsible and take care of the house. Suffolk county sanitary code recommends underground oil tanks be tested periodically. If more people did that, this wouldn't be an issue.
Are you talking about single family residential buildings? Where in the code does it state that?
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