HELP & INFORMATION

If you are a homeowner that uses and stores home heating oil in a tank in your garden, the answer is almost certainly yes. All household insurance policies are different but most contain exclusions or limitations that affect domestic oil users. An example of this is, that UK household insurance policies do not generally provide cover for the costs of tracing and cleaning up contaminated soil & water in your garden following an escape of oil. This can be very expensive particularly if groundwater is affected.

As we are providing a ‘non-advice’ service, if you have specific questions relating to your own household insurance cover you should discuss these with the insurance broker or insurance company with whom the cover was arranged. However, to assist, we have listed some typical relevant questions which you can access by clicking here.

In addition, the ongoing OilCheck Inspection, a fundamental part of the HomeSpill® Insurance Plan, provides and evidences an annual check of your oil tank as recommended by the Environment Agency and as often required as a condition of a manufacturer's oil tank warranty and for other interested parties such as your household insurers.

No, the HomeSpill® Insurance Plan only covers the clean up of leaks & spills that occur after the policy cover commencement date and specifically excludes damage that occurred prior to this date.

This will mean that your oil tank system is not currently acceptable for cover under the HomeSpill® Insurance Plan. It could also mean that your system is not compliant with current regulations or requires remedial work to make it safe to use. It is in your best interests to carry out any remedial work identified during an OilCheck Inspection as guided by the inspector to avoid potential health, safety or environmental issues and liabilities.

Any work identified by the OilCheck Inspection would be your responsibility and at your cost to implement.

Once an OFTEC oil technician has satisfactorily completed such remedial work, a copy of an acceptable OilCheck inspection report is in our possession and we have received payment of the first annual premium, cover can be provided under the HomeSpill® Insurance Plan.

An acceptable OilCheck Inspection Report is one which confirms that your oil tank system is currently eligible for cover under the HomeSpill® Insurance Plan without any remedial work being carried out.

Any remedial work to your system is at your cost.

If cover is required under the HomeSpill® Insurance Plan, any remedial work carried out on your oil tank system must be carried out by either the OilCheck Inspector or another OFTEC oil technician of your choice. If the remedial work is carried out by someone other than the OilCheck Inspector, they would need to confirm to us in writing that the remedial work had been satisfactorily completed and dependent upon the circumstances it may be necessary for a further OilCheck Inspection to be carried out at your cost.

The OilCare Campaign website – provides lots of guidance and information for oil users including a section called ‘Get to know your oil tank’ -  http://oilcare.org.uk/look-after-your-oil/gtkyot/  with descriptions and diagrams to assist you in identifying which type of oil tank you have.

For the purposes of the HomeSpill® Insurance Plan, an oil tank system is the Oil Storage Tank and external supply pipework up to the external point of entry into the residence or outbuilding containing the boiler.