The world of residential real estate can be tricky, with building codes and regulations changing every year. To help separate fact from fiction, Hagan Home Inspections owner John Hagan explains what homeowners should do if they madet an addition to their home without getting the proper permits.
During my years working in the construction and inspection industry, I have continually found that there is not a lot of knowledge about proper city and county building permits among homeowners in the general public. Because of this, it is common for homeowners to do some type of work on their homes without obtaining the proper permits first. Unfortunately, this can cause major headaches later on if/when the homeowner tries to sell the home.
Increasingly, realtors are opting against listing homes that had additions built without obtaining the proper paperwork from the city or county officials. One reason for this is because any additional square footage added on during an improper renovation cannot be counted towards the total square footage of the home when it is listed for sale.
If a homeowner is in this situation, then he will need to go back and file with the city or county to get the proper paperwork before he can go forward with selling his home. These permits are known as after-the-fact permits — that is, getting permitting for a project that was already done.
Although homeowners can go about the process of getting an after-the-fact building permit themselves, I certainly would not recommend it. Trying to go about a major process like that on your own can be complex and time-consuming for someone who does not have a background in inspection or residential construction. However, by hiring someone like myself, a homeowner can expect to have an after-the-fact permit within three to four weeks of my initial property inspection.
The process of getting an after-the-fact permit generally involves myself inspecting the property and giving the homeowner an estimate of what it’s going to take to get the place up to code. From there, I will meet with the city and county officials to discuss what they think needs to be done. Within a matter of days or weeks, I will have the right people out there to handle the job. And once everything has been brought up to code, I will meet with the city or county inspectors to get the final permit for the homeowners.
What my after-the-fact building permit service does is it helps homeowners get their permits faster and easier. I am knowledgeable about the building codes because I actually worked for years on the construction side of the business, so I can talk with these inspectors on their terms. And because I know the industry and I know what the inspectors are talking about (and because they know that I know what they are talking about), it usually makes the entire process go a lot more smoothly.
If you are a homeowner who made additions to your home or remodeled it without the proper permitting, all is not lost. It may take time, but it is possible to get a home back up to code even if you made an addition without first obtaining city or county permits.
