Don’t Forget the Building Permit
Posted by by Monmouth County-Monroe Twp News and Real Estate Information on 11th July 2006
If you are planning to make any modifications to your property check with your Township/Municipality Building Dept. prior to starting your project. You may be required to obtain a building permit. Building permits are relatively inexpensive, however, if the modification increases value it may result in a tax increase. Thinking it isn’t worth the hassle? Think again. If modifications are made to your property without a permit and it is discovered it can be significantly more expensive. The building inspector must be able to determine that the work was completed properly and complies with code. This procedure may very well include taking apart whatever was completed, opening walls or taking up floors is a possibility.
If you are planning on selling your property a lack of permits could cause further problems during a C/O inspection. Again if the work performed was found faulty or not up to code it would have to be corrected. This could greatly jeopardize the pending sale of the home for a variety of reasons. Many times buyers are locked into a mortgage rate for a specific time period, costing the buyer additional monies for a lock-in extension. A buyer coming from a rental may not have alternative living arrangements past the projected closing date. Depending on the type of modifications involved and the severity of any problems that may have been found, it could take weeks or possibly months to resolve the issues.
Things to remember: Always check to see if you are required to obtain a permit.
Once you acquire your permit and go thru your required inspection/s, always make sure you get the final inspection. This is your responsibility to schedule with the building dept. C/O’s are not issued when there is a pending approval or open permit.
There are several municipalities which require the seller of a property to sign an affidavit stating no work was performed without a permit. If infact work was performed without a permit the necessary procedure’s according to the Building/Code Dept. for the specific municipality in which the property is located in would have to be completed.
Posted in Township Building Permits | 2 Comments »