Investor Question: Dealing With City Liens From Unpermitted Additions

[Mike Romano]

Has anyone here bought a property that had a city lien, where the lien was paid off at closing?

In my case, the lien is for unpermitted work—an addition on the back of the house. I’m getting the property at a great price, and the lien will be paid at closing, but I know the issue itself won’t just disappear. I’ll still need to address the unpermitted addition and bring it into compliance.

Has anyone dealt with something like this before? How did the city handle permits, inspections, or possible fines after closing? Any advice or experiences would be really appreciated.