One thing all homebuyers should do during their inspection contingency period is to check the building permits history. This can be done relatively easily and quickly, by contacting the local building department and making a request. For our area, you would need to contact the City of Tallahassee or Leon County building departments. Most homebuyers don’t realize they will become fully responsibly for any and all previously unpermitted work. Oftentimes as home inspectors, we will note that there are obvious signs of renovations or repairs that were done at a time different from the original construction and recommend that you request copies of all building permits from the sellers. The building department has a lot more power and authority than people realize, imposing liens and fines or even deeming a home or portion of a home uninhabitable to force compliance.
Many property owners and some contractors will decide they want to make some changes to a structure without obtaining the required building permits. In Florida, it’s actually illegal for a licensed contractor to NOT pull a permit when one is required. Permits are required for the benefit of the public’s heath and safety, ensuring the work is done to an acceptable minimum standard, often referred to as “to code”.
Some very common examples of this we see during home inspections are decks being built or garages being enclosed without permits. Even if everything was built perfectly and up to code, if the building department becomes aware of this violation, they will impose fines of double the permit costs and require you to be able to document that everything was built properly. This could mean opening up walls, floors, or ceilings just to verify the work was done correctly, or potentially hiring engineers or architects. If the work is not up to code, you will be required to make the necessary changes or remove it.
Building permits matter, make sure you check before your contingency period expires so there aren’t any costly surprises in the future.
During a home inspection, when we see a driveway terminate into the side of a house like this, we recommend the buyer obtain records of building permits to ensure the garage conversion was properly permitted.
If a home inspector sees lattice used in this kind of a manner on a deck, they will assume the work was done without permits or inspections.
