This property has a documented history as a property with a heating oil tank predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible

Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.

The heating oil release at this property originated from a tank that was actively in service well before 1986, when occurrence-based policies routinely lacked enforceable pollution exclusions. That pre-1986 operational window is precisely when contamination was accumulating beneath the property — slowly, out of sight, under a residential porch. The cleanup costs now facing the property owner — tank removal, soil investigation, and remediation — represent the kind of environmental loss that historical carriers whose policies covered this property during the tank's active years may be obligated to fund.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.