Moving or selling your home: what to do with your tank

Moving or selling your home: what to do with your tank

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The most important thing to bear in mind when disposing of your propane tank when moving or selling your house is that it should be done by qualified service technicians. Propane is a highly flammable gas and manipulating it or related equipment without proper training can expose you to injury or even death.

Rented propane tanks

 

Rented propane tanks belong to the company with which you have signed a propane supply agreement. Therefore, if you move, it is up to the company to send qualified service technicians to empty it of excess propane (if the level is above 5%) and remove it from your property.

 

Unless otherwise stated in your propane supply agreement or you inform your propane company less than 30 days before you move, there should be no termination fee. Also, if you have been a client with your propane company for over a year, you might be able to get them to buy any propane above the tank’s 5% level at wholesale or initial purchase price.

 

However, your propane company will charge you a drainage fee to cover administrative costs associated with emptying your propane tank. Similarly, propane dealers charge a pick up fee to disconnect and physically remove propane tanks from properties.

Owned propane tanks

 

The simplest solution if you own your propane tank is to include it and any excess propane in the sales price. A propane tank is an important investment and a useful bargaining chip in negotiating the price you get for your home since it is already connected and will simply need to be filled by the next owners.

 

If you decide to have your propane tank removed, you are free to choose the company that offers the safest, most reliable and cheapest service. And if you are in a propane supply agreement, your company will not charge you a cancellation fee.

 

Unless you have been with the same company for several years, you fill find it harder (but possible) to sell your excess gas to a propane dealer. All propane companies will charge drainage fees to cover propane removal costs and pick up fees for physically disposing of the tank.

What to do with a propane tank if you are a tenant

 

Whether they are rented or purchased, propane tanks are the homeowner’s responsibility. Tenants are allowed to order propane if they are made an authorized representative of the owner. However, when tenants move, it does not affect the propane supply agreement.

 

Ultimately, it is up to the owner of the property to decide whether or not to keep the company and/or the propane tank if the tank is rented. If the propane tank belongs to the homeowner, it is up to them to decide on the company that should make the next propane delivery.

 

However, tenants should leave as much propane in the propane tank as there was when they signed the lease and landlords have to purchase any propane above the initial tank level from tenants when they move out.