Chapter 24 – What About Permits before you do Permit Docrepairs?

During the course of my inspection career the question of permits often came up, particularly when it appeared there had been changes to the original floor plan or the intended use of an area.

The pulling of permits is not verified by home inspectors.  Suspected code violations will be in the home inspection report.

I am not a lawyer and am not able to provide legal advice.  However, it is my understanding that the permit process provides an additional level of protection to the homeowner by having a disinterested code inspector involved in the construction process.  This lowers the risks involved in ownership if a property ends up in litigation.  Any person who has ever had ownership of the property could possibly be named in a law suite.

Most municipalities are eager to sell you a permit to do work on your property.  Pulling a permit is also a good idea because it helps verify your licensed contractor’s performance.  The red flags fly if a building contractor suggests not pulling a permit.

It is recommended that you get more than one estimate for construction or repairs conducted by licensed contractors.

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Chapter 25 – Additional Comments & Some “Over and Over Again Notes”