Electrics and gas
The base of an oil tank is corroded and the bund was empty. What containment and what leak path were seen, and what fill level was not measured?
The containment seen was an empty bund, and the leak path seen was corrosion at the base of the oil tank. The bund held nothing on the day, so no captured oil was sitting in it, and the base of the tank itself is corroded. The survey has recorded those two things. It has not measured the fill level, so nobody can say from this report how much oil is in the tank. It has not proved an active leak, and it has not tested the tank shell beyond what was visible.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
An oil tank base takes the weight and the weather, and corrosion there is a path oil could use if the steel is holed. An empty bund means the secondary container was not holding a spill on the day of the visit. Emptiness is not a measurement of oil lost, and it is not a measurement of oil still inside. The surveyor did not dip the tank and did not weigh a leak. A home survey records the corroded base and the empty bund.
Ask an oil heating technician to inspect the tank, the base, and the bund, and to measure the contents separately from this report. Tell the solicitor what was seen: a corroded base, an empty bund, and no fill level. Do not treat emptiness as proof that the tank is sound or that it is leaking. Keep any later repair proposal distinct from the visual note.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the bund empty of oil, or was the bund itself missing?
- Where on the tank base was the corrosion you recorded?
- Did you measure the fill level, or leave the contents unknown?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask an oil technician to inspect the tank, the base, and the bund.
- Tell the solicitor the fill level was not measured.
- Do not treat an empty bund as proof the tank is tight or that it is leaking.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the bund is empty, has a leak been ruled out?
No. An empty bund means no oil was seen pooled in the containment on the day. It does not measure a loss from the tank, and the fill level was not taken. The corroded base remains a leak path that was seen, not a volume that was calculated. The survey has not decided the tank is tight.
Does the survey say who services the tank or when it was last filled?
No. The report did not record who fills the tank or when it was last serviced. It recorded a corroded base, an empty bund, and the fact that the fill level was not measured. Service history would be a separate paper. It is not hiding inside the empty bund.