Soil contamination causes

Landfilling of waste

Soil contamination can occur in numerous ways. A property may be contaminated due to waste having been buried there – if it was built over a landfill for example – or because of toxic substances spilling over from a neighbouring property.

Old oil tanks are another source of contamination. As a broker, if you see a plugged oil pipe leading from a house heated by electricity, you must ask where the oil tank used to be located in order to check the condition of the area.

Contaminated land can often be found in older cities where there used to be industrial activity near waterways and railroads. But caution must be exercised everywhere. Out in the countryside, for example, they used to spread used oil (in some cases containing PCBs) to keep down the dust.

For more details :

Landfills and old quarries: A declaration that should not be overlooked

Properties located on former landfill sites: clarifications by the OACIQ

Non-compliant septic systems

Soil contamination is frequently caused by absent, outdated or poorly maintained sanitary systems.

When a building is served by a self-contained sanitary system, the components must be verified to work properly.

Non-compliant sanitary systems are actually one of the most common type of claims made to the Fonds d’assurance responsabilité professionnelle du courtage immobilier du Québec (FARCIQ).