How oil spills happen:

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Very often, an oil spill will be caused by a defective heating or plumbing system at a property. This can arise due to sub-standard installation, burst pipes or simply through wear and tear on the heating system.

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How to know if your property has been contaminated :

The following is a non- exhaustive list of indications that your property may be contaminated:

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• You can smell oil in your property.

• You can smell oil when you turn on the heating system.

• Oil stain patches inside or outside your property.

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What happens when you call us :

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1. We work closely with a number of companies specialising in remediating contaminated properties. We will arrange for them to attend your property and conduct a preliminary non-invasive inspection.

2. If the preliminary inspection confirms contamination on your property, it will at that point be necessary for a more detailed survey to be carried out. This survey will report on the extent and source of the contamination.

3. It may also be necessary to retain a loss assessor to provide an estimate of restoring your property to its original condition once the remediation works are complete.

4. The polluter must bear responsibility for the pollution. Once the source of the contamination has been identified, it will be necessary for us to engage with the owner of the polluting property or their insurer, on your behalf. 

5. If engagement is not successful, it will be necessary for us to issue and serve legal proceedings on the owner of the polluting property.

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What costs can I recover :

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You will be entitled to seek recovery of the costs of remediating your property and the costs of reinstating your property after the remediation works have completed. In addition to these costs, you will also be entitled to seek recovery of any additional out of pocket expenses, such as the rental of alternative accommodation while works are being carried out.