Homeowners and Gas Drilling Leases: Boon or Bust?

Many homeowners and farmers in need of cash are inclined sign leasing agreements with gas companies. In making their argument, gas companies reassure property owners that the drilling processes and chemicals used are safe. Yet aside from arguments about the relative safety of the extraction process are issues not often discussed, such as the owner’s potential liability and the continued viability of the mortgage. The property owner can be particularly vulnerable when the drilling process involves high- volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.”