New home , current owner wants me to pay for LPG in Tank

y-o-r-k-y

Is it even possible to measure accurately how much gas is left in a bulk storage tank? If it is what would be a fair price to pay per litre? 

maisie_cat

A fair price per litre would be either what they paid or the current price. If they can get an independent valuation of the tank contents you have something.
You could simply say no and tell them to take it with them. Chances are that they won't.
When we moved here there was 700-800 litres of oil that the sellers didn't even mention charging for.

dunstonh

It is similar with oil.  Some vendors ask for money.  Some don't.  It is unlikely they would pull out if you reject as they woudl lose far more by doing that.   We didn't pay for the oil left in our tank when we moved in and were not asked.  However, the vendor ran it down and timing for the move meant there was only about 3-4 weeks oil in there.

There is no easy way to measure the LPG that is in the tank.  You generally need to agree prices for things in advance.   By the time you do that and wait for the moving date, they would have used more.    So, I would reject if asked.

prowla

I'd say I'd prefer the tank empty and cleaned, please.

Mister_G

prowla said:

I'd say I'd prefer the tank empty and cleaned, please.

Rather difficult to do with an LPG tank!

OP - the tank should have some sort of gauge on it.  They are not very accurate, so all you can do is come to a mutual agreement with the seller.

matelodave

Is he making an issue out of it or just flying a kite, hoping to cut his losses? Can you actually determine accurately how much is in the tank - gas isn't as easy as oil where you can use a dipstick to check it.

It's up to you, tell him to take it with him or offer a nominal amount say 25-50 quid and hope that there's at least that value still left in the tank.

Is it worth jeopardising a sale over it if it does become a bone of contention.

y-o-r-k-y

Thanks for all the input . They are a bit mean the people who I'm buying off. It was just an holiday home to them although it is going to be our forever home. They are taking all the curtains , want me to pay £250 for a bog standard electric cooker , even taking out the fire and surround, plus the plants in the garden ( about 30 pots). I've asked how much gas they expect to be in the tank when we move and what they want for it, then I'll decide if it's worth paying them or saying no and call their bluff. I don't think they'll back out as it will probably take them a while to find another buyer in these unstable financial times. Plus they want to avoid paying the second home council tax in Wales. 

lohr500

If they are being so petty about stripping everything out, I would say you don't want the cooker and ask them to remove the remaining gas. If it is a bog standard free standing electric cooker and nothing special, you will be able to get a brand new, squeaky clean one for +/- £250. My gut feel says it will cost them more to get someone to safely remove the gas than the gas is worth!

Not to be a scaremonger, but on the LPG tank front, there are posts on the MSE Forum about tanks that are located in places that don't meet current requirements. This then makes it difficult to shop around for a different supplier once you take possession of the house. It is something I know nothing about, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Has teh tank location/condition been assessed as part of the conveyancing process? 
 

spannerzone

Personally I'd call their bluff and say you don't need the gas so they can take it with them. Same for the cooker unless it's some amazing cooker.... will they rip it out, can they be bothered? House sellers can get really stupid about the tiniest of things.... for something selling for hundreds of thousands of pounds, they get worked up over a few hundred quid.

y-o-r-k-y

What is really annoying is you expect everyone to be like yourself and they are not, we were leaving all the window blinds , curtains and light fittings for our buyers. They asked later for a few bits of furniture and a TV that I'd told them was going spare. We are down sizing and if they'd have asked for all the furniture I think I'd have let them have it to keep the deal sweet. As spannerzone says , no point in upsetting your buyer for a few hundred quid and loosing a £260,000 sale. They must have a bob or two to be able to afford a second home anyway.

Mister_G

The LPG in the tank will be more or less worthless. They will probably not be able to find anyone to remove it.  There is no secondhand LPG market!