Can You Remodel Your Home Without a Permit?
A remodeling project can lead to issues in the future if you don’t secure the necessary permissions. That’s because municipal building laws vary from town to town, and you risk receiving fines or, perhaps worse, depending on your community’s rules. Painting and carpeting, for example, are essentially aesthetic improvements that generally don’t need permits. Therefore, the following could happen if you still need to obtain the required licenses.
Removal of All the Updates
Given that the criteria for permits in remodeling projects can be expensive, particularly when hiring a professional, it is understandable why some homeowners may decide to take a chance and forgo the permission procedure. There are, however, cost-effective workarounds. For example, suppose you know about plumbing or electrical work. In that case, it may be possible to engage a licensed professional as a consultant, execute the work yourself, and then have the expert sign off on the quality of the work. Still, permission will be required, and the expert must approve the proposal.
A Deal Canceled by the Buyer
Before the project’s documentation and linking to the deed to your house at the Register of Deeds Office, the local building authority approves the designs and routinely inspects the project to ensure it is compliant. If the information in the deed differs from the initial information, the potential buyer is free to back out of the deal. The homeowner in this situation is free to explain the facts to the building authorities and ask for a retroactive permit.
Final Thoughts
Along with the topics covered in this article, home insurance providers also depend on the properties’ good mechanical and structural integrity. The house insurance provider may terminate the policy upon learning of the illegal activity. Because insurers commonly share information, getting new insurance could take time and effort.