any real state attorney?

[emudryj]

I'm in the process of looking a home to buy, and I have a question that have not been able to get answered.

Let suppose I'm buying a home, and the actual owner is a very handy man and he likes to build stuff around an in the house.

Mr. owner is a cheap ###### that hates to get permits to build his things, so he doesn't get any permits.

So I decide to buy his home, but really do not know what was originally built with the home, and what was added later. Since I do not know this I have no way to know if he pulled permits for what ever he built.

I found out that Title insurance company looks for "open permits"only.

I the case that I buy the home, how much liability and risk am I taking???

There's a seller property disclosure statement, where he sign that he did not added, replaced or modified nothing on the property... Am I in the clear????

If the city, county or state,shows up 6 month after I bought the house telling me that something was built without pulling permits or approval, am I still on the hook, or they will go against the original owner???

Thanks, for your thoughts....

[triumphrick]

I'm neither an attorney nor did I sleep in a HI.....however some personal experience. I sold a home in Englewood, Fl. some twelve years ago. It was a stilt house on the water. After building it to the original plans, I enclosed the garage. Thankfully i did it with proper materials and very close to code. That construction was caught by the buyers home inspector. I was required to contact my builing dept., pull a permit, pay a fine and have the garage inspected. All of which needed to be done to assure the completion of the sale....

[WEAKFISH]

Check to see if the municipality requires a C.O. (Certificate of occupancy) to be issued for a sale. If so, there will be an inspection etc. by the building inspector and that should clear everything up. If they issue the C.O., everything should be on the up and up.

[emudryj]

THANKS!!!! I know that there's going to be a survey on the property before the sale, but I do not know if that will catch up the additions....

It seems that I will be liable for whatever modif that this guy made... no matter how many papers he sign saying that he did not modify or add anything....so it may not be worth....

Thanks everybody...

[cataholic]

Check to see if the municipality requires a C.O. (Certificate of occupancy) to be issued for a sale. If so, there will be an inspection etc. by the building inspector and that should clear everything up. If they issue the C.O., everything should be on the up and up.

I am an attorney and that sounds like good advice to me. You could also call the local building inspector or city attorney and ask the same question you posed here. The answer will depend on their particular local ordinances.

[RI Builder]

Permits, we don't need no stinking permits!!

I once had an issue over a road in a sub division which had to to go to court to be reolved. I won (thanks to an attorney that really knew her stuff) and the town went ballistic on me when I submitted the name for the road - "Cuin Ct."