stop work order - help!

[David S.]

I received a stop work order and hired an architect to draw up plans and handle the permit process. He turned out to be very unreliable.  Has anyone had any experience here?  I don't know who to trust anymore. 

[Mark Ainley]

@David Sconduto 

Anyone that hasn't had this happen in Chicago doesn't have a clue what it is like in this city once the city has you.  Our first couple of properties we purchased in the city we had this happen and they city takes you over their knee.  It is important to get in with an architect that has a good relationship with the building department.  If you have to go to court it is good to have an attorney that has a good relationship with city attorney's.  This will all make your life easier.   What is the stop work order for?  Did they come into the house yet?  You have been caught so the opportunity to go cheap on plans for permits is out.  If the building is vacant they will now try to hit you for not having the building registered.   

Almost all of our properties we have rehabbed are in the city and I have had the worse of the worse case scenario happen but it was do our doing that created the worse part.  David feel free to give me call or let me know any questions you have.  It is not the end of the world but it is just expensive in time and expense.  

The only good thing about our experiences is we did learn what happens when you get caught and we are way more careful or even pull permits at times but we did learn our way around the court system and made good connections with resources we can now go to.