Permits on a live in flip?

Question

Account Closed · Answer

@Mason KeelerYou want to do whatever it is without the hassle of permits. I understand. But you're honest enough to ask about it here before you go ahead and do it. That's a plus in your favor.Here's where to start finding out for your county. Unfortunately, what's true about codes out here in Allegheny County, PA is not what's true in Clark County, WA.https://www.clark.wa.gov/community-development/building-permits

Patrice Boenzi · Answer

@ Mason Keeler I have done live-in flips too. You need to look at the Listing Agreement. Here is how it works in Illinois. As an owner, we can do the work and it has to be to code, but we still needed to pull permits and have the inspection. If I have work done on my rental then I need to use a licensed contractor. Here is why I said look at your listing agreement. In Illinois, there is a part of the listing agreement that "survives" closing and one of the items that "survives closing is if you did work on your property and did not pull a permit; if there is an issue down the road the buyer can come back to you. You need to disclosure if you did not pull permits and sometimes it can be a real mess. If a seller tries to go back and pull a permit for work already done some cities make you take it back down to where the inspection should have happened, sometimes there are fines etc.

My rule - do the right thing because it is the right thing to do and it usually saves you money in the long run

Christopher Phillips · Answer

@Mason Keeler

Buildings departments will tell you that you need permits for any work done on a house. Where they give owners some wiggle room is when you're only replacing previously existing items - an example would be replacing an existing sink. But if you're moving the sink then you need a permit since the plumbing would have to be changed.

Every area has some slightly different rules on what owners can do without a permit, so you should check with the local buildings department. Most these days have websites to check up on these types of things.

Permits on a live in flip?

Most Popular Reply