Certificate of Occupancy Question (Brookhaven, Selden: sales, house, purchase)

[jackiet387]

I have a question that I am joping someone can answer about a certificate of occupancy. I am currently looking to purchase a home in Selden, NY and the house has an attacjed garage where the garage was shortened and the seller expanded on the room attached to the garage. You can no longer pull a car into it and the room was turned into an office. I was wondering is the seller required to supply a cerificate of occupancy for the room or will they be required to turn it back into a garage as my husband and i want to turn it back into a garage so we can fit a car in it.

Thanks in advance.

[TomMoser]

The seller will be required to do anything that the two of you agree to. There definately should be a c/o the way that you describe the current set up, as they turned part of a garage into living space.

[jackiet387]

What if the seller doesnt have a CO? Then what happens?

[nuts2uiam]

I admit that I don't know much about Suffolk but if the house is being sold with a garage i.e room for one car) then I would check to see if he has the proper CoC's or CoO's for that garage. IF not I would check to look for the same for the "addition" to the existing room. Either way he needs one or the other.
If the certs are for the room then you will have to turn it into a garage after purchase, if it is for a garage, you can tell the realtor that you can't fit the car into the "garage" and have him/her deal with the seller on this issue.

[Spanky25]

Originally Posted by jackiet387

What if the seller doesnt have a CO? Then what happens?

It's you mtg. Co./appraisal who really cares. Along with Suffolk County/taxes. They require it. The appraiser might not call it out though. If they don't, the only problem you will have is when YOU want to sell.

I would get an est. to convert it back. I would deduct that amount from the sales price. Or, have them convert it back or deal is off. As long as the job is done correctly.

[OhBeeHave]

This is considered a garage conversion in Brookhaven.

Ask that the sellers get a CO. Something like this is usually a small slap on the wrist fine in Brookhaven and will hold things up a month or so, provided the homeowner has all the documentation needed. In addition to the documentation, they will have to submit hand drawn plans indicating what was done. dimensions, etc. It's actually rather simple.

If they balk, it could be a sign that there's other things that they haven't addressed with the town.

I was on the phone with the building department today and the inspections are only a week out.

[zulu400]

Originally Posted by jackiet387

I have a question that I am joping someone can answer about a certificate of occupancy. I am currently looking to purchase a home in Selden, NY and the house has an attacjed garage where the garage was shortened and the seller expanded on the room attached to the garage. You can no longer pull a car into it and the room was turned into an office. I was wondering is the seller required to supply a cerificate of occupancy for the room or will they be required to turn it back into a garage as my husband and i want to turn it back into a garage so we can fit a car in it.

Thanks in advance.

"Occupy Garage" = Living Space. That means they need a CO.

Now, it seems to me that secretly you are hoping that they don't have one, because your ulterior motive is that to sell the house to you, they demolish the living space and re-convert it back into a garage so that you can fix the car ? Really ? Is this the house of your dreams ? No I mean really ?

Idea:
Can't you fix the car in the living room, now that it has the extra space from the garage ?

[Buckthedog]

A friend of mine moved to Jackson, NJ. When he bought the house, he was issued a CO by the township at (or shortly after) the closing. Seems that every time a house changes hands, a new CO is issued to the new owner. I think that this is a great idea, as you don't have to worry about changes that were made and never reported before you bought the house.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by Buckthedog

A friend of mine moved to Jackson, NJ. When he bought the house, he was issued a CO by the township at (or shortly after) the closing. Seems that every time a house changes hands, a new CO is issued to the new owner. I think that this is a great idea, as you don't have to worry about changes that were made and never reported before you bought the house.

In the case of Jackson, NJ -- who is responsible for seeing that everything is in place for a current CO to be issued?

[Buckthedog]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

In the case of Jackson, NJ -- who is responsible for seeing that everything is in place for a current CO to be issued?

I don't know, but I;ll ask in an inspector came to the house before closing.