15/04/2026

Buying a house with an oil tank? Here’s a free checklist

If you’re buying a house in a rural location like in our local counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex or Hertfordshire, you may find that many are listed as having an oil tank.

Whilst having an oil tank to heat and provide hot water for your home may seem a bit old school, and even alarming, they’re still incredibly popular, especially in areas with limited access to mains gas.

Having an oil tank to heat your home and hot water can even be more affordable than running electric storage heaters, as long as your oil tank is well looked after.

We understand that buying a home with an oil tank may seem daunting at first, as you have more to think about, which is why we’ve put together a free checklist for buying a home with an oil tank.

5 questions you need to ask the seller

Before you put in an offer, you need to know as much as you can about both the home and the oil tank itself. Some questions we’d recommend asking are:

How old is the oil tank?

We’d recommend asking this question, particularly if the house has a plastic oil tank, as the lifespan isn’t as long. A plastic oil tank, whilst it can be more cost-effective, only has a lifespan of around 20 years.

When was the oil tank last serviced?

Every domestic oil tank has to be serviced once a year by an OFTEC-certified oil tank technician.

Have you ever had an oil tank leak or oil spill?

If there has been a leak or oil spill from the current tank, it’s a potential red flag that it may need more costly repairs or even replacement further down the line.

What is your oil tank’s capacity and average usage?

Outside of the technicalities of how well-maintained the oil tank is, it’s also incredibly important to get a baseline of whether you can afford to run a home with an oil tank, which costs an average of £1,600 to  £4,000 per year depending on the size of your home (based on a March 2026 rate of 135p per litre).

Of course, costs depend on each specific person or family, so this is one to judge for yourself.

Is the oil tank insured?

Some insurance companies require owners of homes with oil tanks to get specialised home insurance because there is significant risk with a combustible tank vs. mains gas and electricity.

Conduct your own inspection

You don’t need to be an oil tank technician to spot any issues with the oil tank attached to your dream home. Some of the things to check are:

Oil tank base

Look to make sure the base is even, without any cracks or subsidence. An uneven oil tank base that’s sinking into the ground may cause the oil tank to split, causing costly environmental damage.

The tank itself

Surface damage to the oil tank is usually easy to spot. When it comes to plastic oil tanks, look for any kind of whitening or bowing, whereas on metal oil tanks you should look for rust.

The sniff test

If you can smell kerosine strongly – which is quite like the smell you get at a petrol station – it could suggest that there’s a slow leak, or the oil tank hasn’t been filled properly, which could mean there’s been a spillage.

Fuel gauge check

It’s always wise to check that the sight gauge or electronic fuel monitor is working and isn’t clouded over. This could be a sign that oil has got into the gauge or metre.

Environmental checks

Take a look at its positioning to ensure that the oil tank is not blocking windows, near a potentially dangerous heat source, or near boundaries as it may cause damage to your property or others, should anything go wrong.. It’s also good practice for an oil tank not to be near water sources, as it maximises the environmental damage risk, and therefore your chances of a fine.

Should you get an oil tank inspection before making an offer on a house?

We’d highly recommend getting an independent oil tank inspection before you make an offer, or alternatively, make it a condition of an offer that the seller must have their oil tank inspected.

Whilst it’s good practice to have a survey done on a house, particularly those that are a bit older, before you make an offer, a surveyor doesn’t have the knowledge to really assess an oil tank. Whilst they’ll glance over it and possibly include any concerns with positioning in their report, that’s where it stops.

An OFTEC-certified oil tank inspector will inspect both the exterior and interior of the oil tank and will provide you with a full report detailing whether it’s absolutely fine, or if it’s older and at risk of needing costly repairs, or even more expensive replacement within the next few years.

If the oil tank used for the house you’re buying is more than a decade old, we’d highly recommend negotiating on the house price in case you’ll likely need to replace it within the next few years.

Want to get a professional oil tank inspection before you put in an offer on a house? Get in touch to arrange an appointment.