A 1960s home that seemed to check nearly every box for a Seattle buyer came with a hidden complication: fire department permit records showed an underground oil tank had been pumped, rinsed, and capped in 2004, but left buried.
Here's what to know
In a Reddit thread on r/homeowners, the OP said the fire department located a 2004 permit tied to the tank's decommissioning. The file indicated it had been pumped, rinsed, and capped or plugged, but there was no record of the work itself and no document showing the tank had been filled with inert material.
The buyer's father advised either backing out or arranging a soil test, while the real estate agent said the situation was fine.
Views in the comments were split. One user said buried tanks are common in older Seattle-area neighborhoods. "I personally would not say this is a deal breaker," they said. "Literally every house in my neighborhood has decommissioned oil tanks still buried in the yards."
Others focused on the missing paperwork and the possibility that the soil might be contaminated. One user warned, "Get it tested. It's probably fine, but if you have contaminated soil, there's basically no upper limit to how much it can cost to be remediated."
More background
Nothing in the records suggested the tank had ever been removed. Instead, it appeared to have been handled under 2004 requirements by being pumped, rinsed, and capped, then left underground without inert fill — the sort of issue that could easily go unnoticed during a showing.
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The OP said that pre-1970 Seattle homes "overwhelmingly have in-ground oil tanks." In a comment, the buyer said they would be "hard pressed" to find a home in their price range without one.
One user suggested the paperwork problem might not be difficult to solve, saying they had an oil tank decommissioned in Seattle around 2019 and that "a couple hundred bucks and a few hours of a pump truck in the yard" got them a certificate to pass on to buyers.
But a self-described insurance agent in the thread took a much harder line.
They said, "Walk away or get it tested and removed. No middle ground would exist for me."
What can be done?
Before getting into cleanup or negotiation, users emphasized checking the records before submitting an offer.
That is what happened here: the buyer asked the fire department to review the permit history and learned that a tank existed and its history, as well as the fact that paperwork was missing.
After that, the discussion turned to contingencies. One user said, "Put in the offer contingent on a soil check." Another said a buyer could test during the inspection period, or require official decommissioning and certification as part of the offer if a certificate is missing.
Where can I learn more?
These stories look at other cases involving soil safety and contamination concerns. They cover homeowners testing suspect yards, neighbors investigating damaged property, and communities questioning whether polluted land is safe.
• Residents kept asking whether it was safe to live here near a former toxic site.
• A Reddit homeowner learned vegetation doesn't mean the soil is safe after paint thinner contaminated their garden.
• A Reddit homeowner found a dangerous landscaping feature and questioned backyard soil safety.
• One homeowner took soil samples to investigate after shrubs appeared to be poisoned.
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