When you own a home and you want to make any changes such as renovating the bathroom, remodeling the kitchen, or adding a deck or pool, you need to pull a permit from the City or County in your area. The permit is a way to not only protect you as a homeowner but also when you sell your home. As a homeowner you should want to have any home repairs done right to ensure they are safe and will last. When you go to buy a home and find out that some repairs and remodeling were completed without a permit, it can be worrisome to say the least as you can’t be sure what work has been performed or if it has been done correctly.
Buying a Home that Had Work Done Without Permit By Previous Owner
Why are Building Permits Required for Remodeling?: The construction building permit is an application that is pulled through either the city or the county that the house is located in. The permit gives the homeowner permission to make the desired changes to the home or property while ensuring they are completed properly. Throughout the remodeling or repairs, an inspection will be done to make sure that the work is up to code. The code is a set of rules that are followed when a home is built and when major renovations or repairs are done. The permit is kept on file and if a new homeowner wants to check on some changes or repairs to their new home, they can find out whether there was a permit issued. This can help them feel confident that the remodeling or repairs are safe.
Penalty for Not Pulling a Building Permit?: If there are remodeling or repairs that has been performed without a permit, it does not automatically or always mean that the work was done shoddily or not up to code. But a building permit is the very best way to determine that the work was done under the supervision of a city or county inspector. The inspector checks the work throughout the progress and suggests changes to areas that are not up to code before the work is completed. If you are not sure about the permitted work or if there was a permit applied for at all, you can call a home inspector like Lifeline Inspection Services for assistance. We provide BuildFax reports that outline the permits that have been pulled on specific properties. A permit may seem expensive or optional, but the fines and penalties for failure to obtain a permit can easily cost triple or even quadruple the amount of the original permit fee. Also, imagine that a home appraiser does not include an addition in the square footage of the home. This discrepancy could cost the home seller significantly.
How Does a Home Inspection Help Buyers & Sellers?: If you are ready to buy or sell a home, you want to know about any potential problems or faults with the property. Hiring a home inspection company like Lifeline Home Inspections is the way to go. One of our qualified home inspectors can inspect the home components as well as determine whether there were permits filed and approved (or not). We will examine the entire home and look for problem areas that were there when the work was completed and issues that may have developed since.
Residential Home Inspections for Buying or Selling Homes in Fulton, Spalding, Coweta, Douglas, Pike, Upson & Fayette County, Georgia
Whether you are buying, selling or as a preventive maintenance measure; Contact Lifeline Home Inspections for all your residential home inspection and commercial property inspection needs!
