Oil leak in house we are bidding on

bri007 · 09-12-2018 2:51pm #1

Hi all,

We are currently bidding on a house, we had another viewing over the weekend.

We noticed a oil leak (possibly an old one) around the tank out the back garden. Problem is it’s right beside the divider wall to the neighbors house.

The fitting looks repaired now, but there is a big bucket underneath it and it has oil in it, unsure if it’s old or still leaking. I checked the voting and it didn’t appear to be still leaking.

However, in the boiler house the boiler is totally broken away, and oil everywhere in it. Very strong odor of oil, and it looks like it happened a long time ago.

It has me a bit concerned, mainly the clean up cost that may incur and if the bank will actually give us a mortgage based on this, also if it has gone into next doors garden aswel or under the house we are looking to buy.

Anyone have any advice, should we just walk away?

Thanks

Effects · 09-12-2018 2:58pm

Get a good plumber to have a look at it and take advice.
I might be wrong, but surely you aren't responsible to damage to a neighbours property that happened before you owned the house.

uck51js9zml2yt · 09-12-2018 3:05pm

Do a search. There is a thread in the last few months on someone who had an oil leak.
The cost and time to resolve is enormous.

bri007 · 09-12-2018 6:02pm

Thanks for the replies and help.

We discussed it this evening and decided to give the estate agent a ring tomorrow and see if the vendor is willing to fix it up before we go sale agreed, probably say no but no harm in asking. If no then we are going to walk away.

We had our hearts set on it but just got strange feeling about the oil, spoke to a lot of people today since and they all advised against it.

Effects · 09-12-2018 9:26pm

I've had issues with oil leaks twice. One involved a plumber sorting it out. The other I fixed myself, after it was a plumber's mistake.
Oil leaks aren't always bad. That's why I said you should get a good plumber to take a look at it. You might be walking away from a decent house otherwise. And the leak might put other people off, keeping the bids a bit lower for you.

enricoh · 09-12-2018 9:30pm

Mate of mines oil tank split, most kerosene went into neighbours foundations, some into his, think the bill is at about 300k, so far!

Effects · 09-12-2018 9:37pm

enricoh wrote: »

hink the bill is at about 300k

Jesus. I wouldn't fancy having to deal with that.

Which reminded me of a guy I knew who had the glass filter on his incoming oil line to boiler in the utility break. A washing machine was pushed into position beside it and caused the damage.
He had to pull the stud wall down and replace it after the oil soaked into the timber. He had just let it out to tenants too and they had to leave while the whole thing got sorted out.

zl1whqvjs75cdy · 10-12-2018 10:02am

enricoh wrote: »

Mate of mines oil tank split, most kerosene went into neighbours foundations, some into his, think the bill is at about 300k, so far!

Seriously? You'd pull down and re build the entire house for that.

FishOnABike · 10-12-2018 10:19am

donkeyoaty0099 wrote: »

Seriously? You'd pull down and re build the entire house for that.

And you'd still be left with the cost of dealing with all the contaminated soil that has to be removed and remediated as hazardous waste.

BailMeOut · 10-12-2018 10:25am

does the house have well or town water? If the former then that would be another serious concern.

L1011 · 10-12-2018 10:28am

donkeyoaty0099 wrote: »

Seriously? You'd pull down and re build the entire house for that.

It'd be two houses worth of damage + contaminated soil removal.

Frank Castle · 10-12-2018 10:31am

My brother bought a house with a similar issue a few years ago (maybe not as bad actually) and it cost him around 25-30k to have it fixed.

Imo get a plumbers advice, but unless it is your dream home/only choice, I would walk away, just not worth the hassle.

(It is def worth getting a plumbers advice first though as it may not be as bad as it seems.)

Toots · 10-12-2018 10:35am

bri007 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies and help.

We discussed it this evening and decided to give the estate agent a ring tomorrow and see if the vendor is willing to fix it up before we go sale agreed, probably say no but no harm in asking. If no then we are going to walk away.

We had our hearts set on it but just got strange feeling about the oil, spoke to a lot of people today since and they all advised against it.

I'd be more inclined to get a plumber to look at it and estimate the cost of repairs, then factor that into your offer. Reason being, you wouldn't want the vendor to say they'll repair it to get the sale to go through and then discover that it was a bodge or done on the cheap, and possibly not done properly.

zl1whqvjs75cdy · 10-12-2018 10:45am

Jaysus never realsied that could be such a problem. Live and learn.

Moonjet · 10-12-2018 10:58am

donkeyoaty0099 wrote: »

Jaysus never realsied that could be such a problem. Live and learn.

Same. As someone who is moving next year to a house which will likely have OFCH I just want to thank the OP for starting this thread. It's not something I ever would have considered looking out for.

3DataModem · 10-12-2018 11:05am

bri007 wrote: »

see if the vendor is willing to fix it up before we go sale agreed

Bear in mind that a vendor will do the minimum possible to fix it, and as this is your heating system it is important that it is done to a good standard.

My advice; pay a good plumber to come out for a review and tell you what needs to be done and at what cost to do it right.

Sleeper12 · 10-12-2018 11:09am

Effects wrote:

Get a good plumber to have a look at it and take advice. I might be wrong, but surely you aren't responsible to damage to a neighbours property that happened before you owned the house.

When you buy a house you also buy the history of the house. This is what you pay searches for

OP oily leaks can be very expensive to sort out. You can stop the leak but I think the Environment Protection Agency needs to be involved. It can cost thousands in some cases. Not trying to scare you. Just hoping you will be careful. Take the advice of your engineer & a good plumber experienced with oil boilers. They will have come across this before and can advise what needs to be done. It might be a tiny leak with little damage

10-12-2018 11:14am

donkeyoaty0099 wrote: »

Jaysus never realsied that could be such a problem. Live and learn.

A colleague had a leak from the tank in the garden, he just paid some fella to take away his topsoil and dump it and put down fresh stuff.

All done for a few hundred I'd say.

rgodard80a · 10-12-2018 11:41am

enricoh wrote: »

Mate of mines oil tank split, most kerosene went into neighbours foundations, some into his, think the bill is at about 300k, so far!

Wow... I assume his house insurance covered that.

However, if the OP where to buy this house, their house insurance more than likely would not cover existing conditions.

I'd be looking for someone more qualified than a plumber to be looking at this.
Someone that can give a written report and has professional indemnity insurance if they're wrong.

Rew · 10-12-2018 11:48am

Topgear on Dave wrote: »

A colleague had a leak from the tank in the garden, he just paid some fella to take away his topsoil and dump it and put down fresh stuff.

All done for a few hundred I'd say.

Doesn't sound legal though and if caught could face fine or worse not to mention he exposes him self and others to risk for half arseing it.

Rew · 10-12-2018 11:51am

I looked at 3 houses that came up for sale near the gassworks in Dublin, they all went sale agreed quite quickly then suddenly came back on the market with 150k discounts. Turns out the gardens all have historic contamination and the remediation was not just digging out the soli but putting down barriers etc. That was an extreme case.

jhenno78 · 10-12-2018 11:52am

Topgear on Dave wrote: »

A colleague had a leak from the tank in the garden, he just paid some fella to take away his topsoil and dump it and put down fresh stuff.

All done for a few hundred I'd say.

The big problems happen when it gets at the house. Over time it destroys the foundations.

enricoh · 10-12-2018 11:53am

rgodard80a wrote: »

Wow... I assume his house insurance covered that.

However, if the OP where to buy this house, their house insurance more than likely would not cover existing conditions.

I'd be looking for someone more qualified than a plumber to be looking at this.
Someone that can give a written report and has professional indemnity insurance if they're wrong.

Yeah, his insurance covered it, n they sued the tank supplier who sued the the tank manufacturer. He had all these electric probes in garden to pulse up the oil iirc, didnt work, so jacked up the houses n new foundations n floors etc.
Yeah id be inclined to get a professional report in writing with insurance rather than a plumber who said it'd be grand! Before i knew of my mates case- I'd have gotten the plumber!!

artanevilla · 10-12-2018 11:53am

Topgear on Dave wrote: »

A colleague had a leak from the tank in the garden, he just paid some fella to take away his topsoil and dump it and put down fresh stuff.

All done for a few hundred I'd say.

Same as paying a lad with a white van to come and take away your rubbish. Just gets dumped at the side of the road somewhere, and in this case the contamination will still be there.

Odelay · 10-12-2018 11:56am

Topgear on Dave wrote: »

A colleague had a leak from the tank in the garden, he just paid some fella to take away his topsoil and dump it and put down fresh stuff.

All done for a few hundred I'd say.

An oil spill in the garden is just a little different to oil getting down as far as the foundations.

Del2005 · 10-12-2018 1:00pm

Sleeper12 wrote: »

When you buy a house you also buy the history of the house. This is what you pay searches for

OP oily leaks can be very expensive to sort out. You can stop the leak but I think the Environment Protection Agency needs to be involved. It can cost thousands in some cases. Not trying to scare you. Just hoping you will be careful. Take the advice of your engineer & a good plumber experienced with oil boilers. They will have come across this before and can advise what needs to be done. It might be a tiny leak with little damage

EPA don't give a feck. A friend had oil leaking in to their garden and after knocking in to all the houses above them the leak has stopped, but none admitted to having a leak. The EPA or council don't care.

Sleeper12 · 10-12-2018 1:25pm

Del2005 wrote: »

EPA don't give a feck. A friend had oil leaking in to their garden and after knocking in to all the houses above them the leak has stopped, but none admitted to having a leak. The EPA or council don't care.

I think you'll find that they do. Any plumber will tell you how serious an oil leak into the ground is. It get's into the water table. ETA do take this very seriously

Del2005 · 10-12-2018 5:36pm

Sleeper12 wrote: »

I think you'll find that they do. Any plumber will tell you how serious an oil leak into the ground is. It get's into the water table. ETA do take this very seriously

Not the leak into my friends back garden. He's called a few times and they won't do anything.

esox28 · 10-12-2018 10:13pm

as a plumber myself,I know that there isen't a plumber working that would have the equipment or expertise to make a call on the extent of oil spillage that has impacted the ground or structural components and costs associated with remediation works.

without the homeowner truthful admission of quantities of oil lost all the plumber could do is pressure test existing oil pipe and make an assessment of the oil storage tank through an 'OFTEC' form.

an environmental or oil remediation company would be the only route IMHO to have an accurate representation of the oil spillage impact should you proceed with purchase.

bri007 · 10-12-2018 10:19pm

Thanks, I asked a friend of mine who is a plumber and said the exact same as you.

He said to walk away, to big of a risk.

I asked estate agent but he said I’m welcome to bring who I want along but it will be sold as is!

esox28 wrote: »

as a plumber myself,I know that there isen't a plumber working that would have the equipment or expertise to make a call on the extent of oil spillage that has impacted the ground or structural components and costs associated with remediation works.

without the homeowner truthful admission of quantities of oil lost all the plumber could do is pressure test existing oil pipe and make an assessment of the oil storage tank through an 'OFTEC' form.

an environmental or oil remediation company would be the only route IMHO to have an accurate representation of the oil spillage impact should you proceed with purchase.

esox28 · 10-12-2018 10:37pm

Topgear on Dave wrote:

A colleague had a leak from the tank in the garden, he just paid some fella to take away his topsoil and dump it and put down fresh stuff.

first of all im not directing this at you topgear just want to make a point...

thats like dumping rubbish out the car window... only oil contaminated soil is classified as hazardous waste. we've all seen on tv 'the man' white van collecting waste which end up in a field in cavan.

I know the vast majority of people wouldn't know what to do if oil spills out in their garden and furthermore how prevent spillage. The oil industry needs to respond and make public awareness of safe oil storage in the home.

Did you know a standard MDPE plastic oil tank if correctly fitted has a limited service life of around 20years. there is many variables around this.

FishOnABike · 10-12-2018 10:54pm

bri007 wrote: »

Thanks, I asked a friend of mine who is a plumber and said the exact same as you.

He said to walk away, to big of a risk.

I asked estate agent but he said I’m welcome to bring who I want along but it will be sold as is!

This would be a red flag to me!

Without having an environmental / oil spill remediation specialist come in, drill and take a number of soil core samples and analyse them, there's no way of knowing how severe or extensive the contamination might be and how much it might cost to remediate.

I don't have an idea how much even assessing the problem might cost. I'd ask the vendor to have this done and to see the report before proceeding.

If the vendor is not willing to do this (or even let you do it at your expense, if you're interested in the property enough and the cost of assessing the problem is reasonable) I'd be concerned why.

It could be a case of ignorance being bliss for the vendor. If they know the extent of the problem they would have to advise any potential purchaser. It might affect the property value too much.

Best case it's a small leak and not too expensive to remediate. Worst case it could cost more than the house is worth. Without a proper assessment it's impossible to know.

4ensic15 · 11-12-2018 8:06am

A person I am related to, bought a house a few years ago. 18 months later they were told that an oil tank 2 doors up had been leaking into the ground. The house next door and the house in between had oil under the sub floors. The whole thing led to 2 insurance claims and 2 court cases. It went on for 5 years with two houses left derelict during that time. The soil affected had to be dug out from under the houses and sent to Scotland. The bills, eventually paid by the insurance company, came to well over a million euro.

spaceHopper · 11-12-2018 2:16pm

Wish the EA good luck and run don't walk.

Edgware · 11-12-2018 3:55pm

Effects wrote: »

Get a good plumber to have a look at it and take advice.
I might be wrong, but surely you aren't responsible to damage to a neighbours property that happened before you owned the house.

If it isnt repaired he will be responsible for damage caused after he buys. Check out the Law of Torts

Mike3549 · 11-12-2018 4:28pm

4ensic15 wrote: »

A person I am related to, bought a house a few years ago. 18 months later............. It went on for 5 years.....

Sorry for my english but "a few years"? My brother bought a house "a few years ago" but then celtic tiger collapsed and he is still in a negative equity....

L1011 · 11-12-2018 7:34pm

Mike3549 wrote: »

Sorry for my english but "a few years"? My brother bought a house "a few years ago" but then celtic tiger collapsed and he is still in a negative equity....

6.5 years ago the property market had bottomed out in Dublin more or less. Even if the timeline is slightly longer than that (18 months + 5 years quoted) it's still unlikely to be Tiger era.

Mike3549 · 11-12-2018 8:19pm

L1011 wrote: »

6.5 years ago the property market had bottomed out in Dublin more or less. Even if the timeline is slightly longer than that (18 months + 5 years quoted) it's still unlikely to be Tiger era.

Yeah sorry its just me being a prick. I know it doesnt make difference whether it was 2 or 20 years, i just dont think something that happened almost 7 years ago should be called " a few years".

4ensic15 · 11-12-2018 8:23pm

Mike3549 wrote: »

Sorry for my english but "a few years"? My brother bought a house "a few years ago" but then celtic tiger collapsed and he is still in a negative equity....

Your point being?

the_syco · 11-12-2018 11:06pm

bri007 wrote: »

I asked estate agent but he said I’m welcome to bring who I want along but it will be sold as is!

I'd wonder is this because it's cheaper to sell the house and take the hit, than repair the damage done by the oil leak?

lawred2 · 11-12-2018 11:09pm

enricoh wrote: »

Mate of mines oil tank split, most kerosene went into neighbours foundations, some into his, think the bill is at about 300k, so far!

Insurance?

Gerry T · 11-12-2018 11:30pm

BE VERY CARFULL
friend had an oil leak, about 15yrs ago. He called his insurance who told him if he mentioned it to his neighbours they wouldn't cover his claim. Very long story short, his neighbour did find out and had to sue him for the damage to both houses foundations, which had to be dug out and replaced. Friend had to move out for just under a yr, his house he said was destroyed with all the work. His neighbour now hates him and that's now spread to a number of other people who think he's a total prick for how it panned out.
If you buy this house, it's a pre existing condition so no new insurance co will insure you...sounds like a nightmare.
If I were you immediately inform your solicitor, stop any money transfers and get seller to pay for a cert from a qualified company to say your house and any affected 3rd parties are clear of any possible or future damage due to this oil leak.

Oil leak in house we are bidding on

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