how to rectify work done before i purchased with no permits

Submitted by poppunksnotdead t3_10ljro0 in baltimore

as title suggests, i know this is a can of worms but i'm curious. my house shows as a 3br 1 bath, but the previous owner combined the middle room and bath in to one giant master bath, and they had the basement finished as an in-law suite with kitchen, and seperate bath.

i think this would technically make my house a 2br 2 bath, with finished basement, but please correct me if i am wrong.

obviously the previous owner was able to sell the propery and certain inspections were passed, but i imagine this is a more detailed process which is why permits are required in the first place.

i certainly don't have the money to address any code violations discovered at the moment so i'm not about to report myself to the city office for an inspection just yet, but i wanted to confirm i was on the right path and see if anyone had dealt with this before.

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Ybotrunner1 t1_j5xljxf wrote

What follows is my understanding as a homeowner with potentially unpermitted work done in my house before we bought it. I don’t lose sleep over it, as it all meets code. The answers will vary a lot here, but work done without a permit may still meet code, but in order to verify that a lot of holes must be cut in the walls etc to verify the mechanicals (plumbing, electrical etc.) Even if you wanted to get it permitted you would need a licensed contractor who isn’t going to put their name on someone else’s work, so you’re left with ripping it all out to get it done “right”. The more interesting question is do you want to get your house reassessed/were photos posted online for assessors to glean data from. The tax assessors office does not, as far as I’m aware, report your self reporting of a different layout to city inspectors office, so you could call them and explain you want to update the records as you see it’s listed incorrectly. This will then bring the official records up to date and in the future it’s just “how it was”.

All in all, major improvements without any permits are not ideal, but by the time you are ready to sell it will all be water under the bridge. Last comment is though you will likely not get far it is interesting that the title company didn’t notice you had a 2br/2bath home now yet the records listed it as 3br/1bath. Again, I doubt you’ll have much of a case, but maybe a thread to pull.

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HumanGyroscope t1_j5yguad wrote

If the house passed the home buying inspection (assuming the inspected was competent) I wouldn't worry about it. If you are still concerned hirer another inspector to inspect the plumping and electrical or anything else that concerns you. No need to get the government involved in your life for something you didn't do. I have had inspections for post construction permit approvals, it can get expensive.

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poppunksnotdead OP t1_j5ys8bg wrote

makes sense, i appreciate you weighing in! i think this is the best approach as well after reading responses here.

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[deleted] t1_j5xiqvh wrote

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poppunksnotdead OP t1_j5xkh7f wrote

i guess im just assuming that not everything would pass a full inspection if i called the city in - nothing stands out, im just preparing for what could happen if that makes any sense.

i did check and permits were pulled for some repair work to the front porch as well as to repipe the entire house but not for the things i described above.

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[deleted] t1_j5xkxwu wrote

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poppunksnotdead OP t1_j5xl8gh wrote

yes i did and no issues were found in either area, some others corrected before closed like a stair railing for the porch out front. i guess im not concerned with craftsmanship, more so about the process for correcting the fact that permits were not pulled

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[deleted] t1_j5xpv8u wrote

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poppunksnotdead OP t1_j5ys2z9 wrote

mostly just assuming the worst, you know what they say - hope for the best prepare for the worst

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UptownHiFi t1_j6105s2 wrote

You have to be careful. Sometimes updating the public record can result in an increased tax assessment.

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Broad-Brush t1_j63i3e1 wrote

Thoughts from a contractor who pulls permits on every job:

-If you have already purchased the home and it passed a pre-purchase inspection you are just opening a can of worms that is going to just cause you a lot of aggravation and money. My experience with home inspectors is that they are all more nitpicky to cover themselves than any City/ County inspector is.

-There are entire states in this country that do not have any trade licensing/ permitting in place. Its more a way to protect contractors from competition and provide another revenue stream to local government than it is to protect the public.

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poppunksnotdead OP t1_j63wr16 wrote

i appreciate the input here - i know reddit to be a place that usually leans towards doing things the right way and to not pull punches, so i wanted to make sure i wasnt being irresponsible by leaving the permit issue alone.

it sounds like i can get the bedroom / bathroom listing updated without dealing with the permit issue which seems like my best option

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omgyouknow t1_j5xjqt4 wrote

You bought it its now your problem, that's why there's inspections
you'll never be able to go back after the previous owners for renovations as there's no proof they were done by them

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poppunksnotdead OP t1_j5xkodv wrote

i understand that to the city it doesnt matter that it was the previous owner, and i know it is my responsibility to correct that is why im trying to learn what is required.

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Matt3989 t1_j5zv57o wrote

>my house shows as a 3br 1 bath

Are you just basing that on the SDAT system? You should check to see if there was a permit pulled: http://cels.baltimorehousing.org/Search_TM_MAP.aspx

My house was recorded on SDAT incorrectly when I bought it, but I was able to email them and get it corrected.

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poppunksnotdead OP t1_j60hbrt wrote

yeah this was the place i checked for permits - and im basing the 3br 1 bath on the tax record with the city, thats also what it shows on MLS because it pulls from the same place. at this point based on previous comments my biggest concern is getting that rectified and not necessarily worrying about the permits at this point.

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