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I did a little Googling to try and get some details on this particular issue, but didn't really seem to pull up much. Or maybe my Google-fu needs some help. In any case, I hope you fine people can point a first time home buyer in the right direction.
I am purchasing a home in Tampa, FL (Hillsborough County) and put an offer on a house that was accepted. Upon acceptance, it was disclosed by the seller's agent that the big, beautiful covered porch that was added onto the back of the house was done without a permit.
It was indicated in the disclosure that the work WAS completed by a licensed contractor (the seller's father). So my worry isn't necessarily about whether it's structurally sound, my issue is what kind of problems can I be faced with if I were to move forward with this home?
My assumption is that if a licensed contractor built the patio, I would imagine they would be privy to build within compliance of the county's code. But I don't like to assume.
It's a beautiful 1920s (well priced with multiple offers) bungalow located in a gentrifying area that has no HOA or anything of that sort (i.e. no nosy neighbors that would rat the owner out on their new porch).
I want to go through with this house and go through the proper measures to check if it's up to code and, if not, get it up to code and after-the-fact permitted.
The seller has indicated they do not wish to do this prior to sale for fear of getting the seller's father in trouble, and if I did, I would have to do so after the purchase has gone through.
So where do I go from here?
Thanks for listening, and any direction is greatly appreciated.
I'm sorry I would still insist on seeing if it was up to code before buying it...
tell the owner no way will Building Regulation find out who did the add on.
It is the misstep of the owner that they didn't get the permits to save a little money,
we all understand this...but now it's time to pay the piper...they are selling ...and
this is simply what is to be expected.
Sad but true....they will 'live and learn'...Don't sell a house with uninspected add ons...
people will want assurances..that's life.
It was prob built just fine.
OR maybe an unbiased contractor friend could take a look see ...if that is all you need...
you want to know there were no short-cuts taken.
I'm sorry I would still insist on seeing if it was up to code before buying it...
tell the owner no way will Building Regulation find out who did the add on.
It is the misstep of the owner that they didn't get the permits to save a little money,
we all understand this...but now it's time to pay the piper...they are selling ...and
this is simply what is to be expected.
Sad but true....they will 'live and learn'...Don't sell a house with uninspected add ons...
people will want assurances..that's life.
It was prob built just fine.
OR maybe an unbiased contractor friend could take a look see ...if that is all you need...
you want to know there were no short-cuts taken.
That's excellent advice, thanks for your response! I would love to find someone who can check that it's up to code for me, if that's possible, without getting anyone in trouble and then being able to get the after-the-fact permit. I mean, if it's not up to code, I really don't want to take on the burden of having to tear it down or rebuild it to code. After a new home purchase, I don't know that I would comfortably have an additional $5-10k to drop in something like that immediately.
In many states, a home seller must divulge repairs or additions to potential buyers and disclose whether they were performed with a permit.
If they weren't permitted, the buyers may demand that the seller get the work permitted and inspected by the city before the transaction can be completed, or at least demand a healthy discount for the problem they are inheriting.
If you don't have the current owner correct this what will happen when YOU try to sell it? You will be stuck correcting it. They need to get it properly documented.
The seller has indicated they do not wish to do this prior to sale for fear of getting the seller's father in trouble, and if I did, I would have to do so after the purchase has gone through.
So it's okay with the seller to get the father in trouble after the closing. Are they going underground after closing? Or is this perhaps a stall to just get past closing and they really don't care what happens to you or dad.
I have a neighbor a few houses away from me who bought his house with a deck with a permit. He said it was a lot of trouble to go to to get is permitted and to bring it up to code.
There are some places I know where if you build a patio or raised patio with certain dimensions that is not attached to the house then you don't need a permit. But if they're admitting it apparently needed a permit, it needs a permit.
Now what else did they do that is not permitted?
PS You have your own agent on your side, right? You're not using the seller's agent?
If it remains unpermitted it will be a huge PIA when you try to sell it. Sounds like you'll have to decide if the house is worth taking that on. Getting the permits for it may not be too annoying/costly, it's not like a finished basement where they'll have to dismantle all the drywall to check plumbing/electrical. Or maybe it will be. It certainly will be if something was done incorrectly. I'd at least completely understand what you're getting yourself into in regards to getting the permits after the fact before you buy it.
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