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Original poster

Seller charging for Liquid Gas left in the tank?

29 replies

ArtichokeAardvark · 14/09/2019 18:01

I'm buying a house that runs on its own gas tank rather than mains gas. We've just had the Fixtures & Fittings form from the sellers and he has said that the remaining liquid gas in the tank is excluded from the cost of sale, and he wants a further £500 for the remaining half tank.

Is this normal? I've only ever bought places on mains gas before so not experienced it. I'm happy to pay it in principle but not if I'm being taken for a ride! Also have no proof of how much is actually in the tank and what that cost would be. Would I be unreasonable to ask for a photo of the gauge and a copy of his last bill to refill the tank?

TIA.

OP posts:

Lucked · 14/09/2019 18:04

Tell him it is alright and he can take it with him!

Firstly you are going to verify how much is left and what that would normally cost.

wowfudge · 14/09/2019 18:06

Sounds like a reasonable course of action to me. How exactly will they move the gas if you say you're not willing to pay for it? Seems penny pinching to me when you consider the thousands of pounds you're paying for the house.

xyzandabc · 14/09/2019 18:06

And what happens if you say you don't want it, he can take it with him and you'll fill it up yourself when you move in?

Are you in England, where actual completion dates can be moved and quite frequently are delayed? How does he know there will be half a tank left on moving day?

MrTumblesSpottyHag · 14/09/2019 18:09

Just say no

SocksRock · 14/09/2019 18:09

Just tell him you are happy for him to take it with him.

Lamentations · 14/09/2019 18:09

I'd politely decline. Let them take it with them or sell it to someone else. I would never try to charge a buyer for that. They sound petty.

Original poster

ArtichokeAardvark · 14/09/2019 18:13

We're in England, yes. We're aiming for an end October completion but haven't exchanged yet!

I can sort of see where he's coming from... Writing off the remainder of the tank is the equivalent of him paying X months gas bill on the house after he's moved out. But I reckon it would be fair to ask for proof of cost and proof of how much is left.

OP posts:

Corrag · 14/09/2019 18:19

My FIL was in a similar situation when he moved. His seller said she'd recently filled the oil tank. He agreed to pay for it, the full amount. Wish he asked for our advice before he agreed to that. I'd have suggested she takes it with her. After moving in he realised the tank was only half full anyway!

Yeahyeahyeahyeeeeah · 14/09/2019 18:28

No no thank you, but we’ll buy our own.

End of.

Ferretyone · 14/09/2019 18:32

It's legal. I suspect that you "made an offer" on the house and did not pay the full price...

The solicitor could advise you! What you could do is agree to pay and then reduce the price of the house by £500 on the day before exchange.

Now if that happened to me as a seller I would withdraw the house from sale though!

@ArtichokeAardvark

Livedandlearned · 14/09/2019 18:35

A full tank, or as much as can fit in a tank is approximately £500 from Calor.

MsMightyTitanAndHerTroubadours · 14/09/2019 18:36

you could get the tank topped up ,they'll know how much it should hold, and from the top up you will know how much you get put in and then you negotiate from there.

Livedandlearned · 14/09/2019 18:41

One more thing, you can pay monthly by direct debit for lpg so it would be good to make sure they paid upfront and aren't owing anything.

TokyoSushi · 14/09/2019 18:42

Bright and breezy, no thanks, We'll buy our own, I'd like to see take it with him!

MzHz · 14/09/2019 18:45

OF COURSE You pay for it!

That’s what you do with oil. Get him to get you a receipt for the last delivery. Double check the price of the tank and proportion of it left to you and pay for it.

Original poster

ArtichokeAardvark · 14/09/2019 18:46

@Livedandlearned Thank you, that's really useful to know! So asking for £500 for a half tank is a bit cheeky then...

OP posts:

MzHz · 14/09/2019 18:47

I’d agree to given them cash once completed too, just in case they do try and get you to pay them over the top

Livedandlearned · 14/09/2019 19:52

It does seem a bit cheeky for a half tank, but as they've prepaid for the gas and it is expensive i think you should negotiate, as you'll have to pay to have it filled yourselves. And soon, before the weather gets too cold.

Livedandlearned · 14/09/2019 19:56

Dh has just told me that on our tank we can't go lower than about 10% maybe even 15, and it can't be filled more than 80% so that leaves around 65% usuable lpg. If i were you I'd ask who their supplier is, get a quote for prices plus delivery and vat and then decide your next move.

stucknoue · 14/09/2019 20:01

Ask for a receipt for the last delivery, it should have a per litre on it and the gauge should show the exact amount left on moving day. I would suggest asking for the price per litre and saying that you will pay in principal but exact amount to be confirmed the day before completion based on a reading in case it's cold between now and then. Tanks vary in size but his tank insurance should indicate the size, brand and last inspection date I believe it's compulsory due to potential environmental clean up costs if it leaks but I may be wrong (if it's above ground it's different we had a buried one)

rslsys · 14/09/2019 20:20

Tell 'em you don't need it as you are replacing the boiler with an oil one.
Costs to empty a gas tank are horrendous :-)

Myimaginarycathasfleas · 14/09/2019 20:41

If a tank holds about £500's worth, agree to pay that sum once they have topped it up to full as soon after completion as possible.

fatfluffycushion · 14/09/2019 21:28

Talk to your solicitor as to what is the normal practice, but before you do so ring the gas company and ask the price to fill the tank and establish how much is in it to a certain it's value , I expect the property is in the countryside hence no town gas , and it's quite normal to buy such things as oil etc as extras , I suppose you can refuse but seems petty tbh

I sold a previous property with an oil tank but it was only about 1/4 full on completion and I didn't charge for it

Lamentations · 14/09/2019 23:17

Exactly fatfluffycushion, you didn't charge for it because it was a given that you couldn't take it with you. Most vendors would simply not top up prior to the sale but accept that what remains is left with the house because you can't do a lot else with it. OP's vendor is chancing his arm.

Original poster

ArtichokeAardvark · 15/09/2019 06:35

Thank you everyone for the advice!

I'm going to talk to my solicitor but my plan of action is to agree in principle to purchasing the leftover gas BUT check the level on the completion date and pay for what's actually left, rather than some arbitrary 'half tank'.

I do agree that I'd love to see him attempt to take it away (!) but I'm not that petty. Our offer was accepted at £20k below asking price so in the grand scheme I'm still quids in.

OP posts:

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