Virtually any addition or remodel requires a Building Permit from your Town. Owners are under a false impression that they can escape a local tax increase based upon the improvements. This may be true until the next reevaluation. Towns are required to reevaluate all properties every ten years with a statistical review every five years. The improvements completed without benefit of a Permit will be found at that time and taxed accordingly.
The real no-permit bite will come when you list your house for sale. A savvy Realtor will uncover the missing governmental permissions when doing a Town Hall search on your property. Unless the home will be purchased with cash, the new owner’s bank’s appraiser will ultimately uncover the “defect” and require it be “fixed” before the new loan can be approved.
Part of the protection that you buy with a Permit is a final inspection and approval of the Building Official as well as Zoning, Wetlands, Engineering, etc. This final approval lives in the file in Town Hall for this address for the benefit of future generations.
What happens if I had the work done without a Permit? Most Town’s will start by doubling the Permit fee. Depending upon the work, some Building Officials may require that the sheetrock be removed so that they can inspect the plumbing and electric behind the walls. It is also possible that the remedy may be the total removal of the improvement!
Wouldn’t it have been easier to get the required Building Permit in the first place? I offer this advice from my desk as a Salesperson at William Raveis Real Estate and also as a builder and remodeler with twenty four years of experience. Please get Building Permits!
Thank you to Shoreline Out and About! This will be my last weekly submission for your Building and Remodeling knowledge. Please tell your friends to get Out and About!
Stephen C. Spurrell- Realtor Neighborhood Builders, Inc (NBI)
Steve @TheWhitemanTeam.com sspurrell@nbict.us
203-458-3449 203-453-3777
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