What is an orientation soil investigation?
An orientation soil investigation (OBO) is an initial investigation into clear signs of soil contamination. It is required on risk land: land on which an activity takes place or took place that can contaminate the soil, such as a petrol station, a garage or a company’s heating oil tank. On an ordinary residential plot it is usually not needed.
When it is required
On risk land, an orientation soil investigation must be carried out:
- on the sale or another transfer, at the initiative and expense of the seller;
- when the risk establishment closes, and in the event of bankruptcy;
- periodically while the establishment is in operation: every ten years, or every twenty years if there is only above-ground storage.
Other things often matter on the same plot too, such as the PFAS zones and the water test. You can see how a report brings them together in the sample report.
Who carries it out
A recognised soil remediation expert. They take samples of the soil and the groundwater, especially where the risk is greatest (at tanks and where production took place), following OVAM’s standard procedure. OVAM assesses the investigation. The price depends on the expert and the site: ask for quotes.
What follows
If the expert finds contamination above the standards, a descriptive soil investigation (BBO) follows: how far the contamination extends and how serious it is. A remediation then follows if needed. According to OVAM, about one in five orientation investigations leads to a descriptive investigation, and about half of those to a remediation.
The soil certificate
Every sale of land requires a soil certificate from OVAM, even if no investigation had to be carried out. It states what OVAM knows about the land: the investigations, the remediations and whether it is risk land. You request it via the Property Information Platform (VIP); usually the notary or the estate agent does this. On risk land, the validity of the certificate also depends on the orientation soil investigation.
What the Perceelscan shows
OVAM’s soil investigations on the plot (orientation, descriptive, remediation), each with the date and the file number, and whether the plot lies in a PFAS zone.
In the other regions
- In Brussels: When do you need a soil certificate in Brussels?
- In Wallonia: What are the BDES and the extrait conforme in a sale?
Sources
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