Buying a house, but possible permits problem...

[286rocks]

The wife and I have been looking to purchase our first home way up in Humboldt Co. California. We've found one that we like in a nice area. It's a 4bd 3 ba, dual master suite with about 1600 sq. ft. and was built in 1985.

The problem is about 600 sqft of it and 1 bathroom are an addition. We went to the county building department and they have nearly no records on the house, all they have is the original site plan and the final inspection from 1985. They could not locate a permit for the addition.

However we've also checked with the county assessors office and they show the home originally as 1050sq ft with a 600 sq ft addition being added in 1986, they also note a permit number, though to this day they still have it as a 4bd 2ba.

My question is what kind of problems could we run into down the road by not having the actual permit for the add-on and why would the assessor not know about the additional bathroom? (possibly built without permit later on?)

We'd like to put an offer down, but we want to cover our bases down the road when we go to sell it.

Thanks all!

 

[jbs$]

Run - when the seller produces proper, verified documents, then talk to them. Until that happen it is a world of crap that you don't want, even for free.

 

[CobraBob]

I'd talk to the Assessor's Office and Building Inspector and ask them. You want to know direct from them. You absolutely want to find out if there are any code violations. It is possible that since no Permit can be found that the building inspector might require the entire addition be inspected. If violations are found, it is then possible that the entire addition would have to be brought up to current building code. That could get expensive. On the other hand, talking to the Assessor's Office might result in them finding enough evidence to make a notation that the addition is okay as is. I'd definitely proceed with caution. JMO.

 

[HEMIHUNTER]

Run away. Don't look back.

 

[M91196]

Happens all the time, likely no final inspection. Usually catches up when the do physical assessments were I live. Sounds like neither one of you is using a realtor, best get a lawyer to take a peek if your interested in the property.

 

[ZincYellowGT281]

What did your realtor say? Tax records are a click of a button to find out if they didn't match. How was the property advertise? You wouldn't get value for the extra square footage added if it wasn't permitted.

You might encounter some problems for insuring the property. For example, if something were to happen it might not get covered because it was never permitted.

 

[286rocks]

What did your realtor say? Tax records are a click of a button to find out if they didn't match. How was the property advertise? You wouldn't get value for the extra square footage added if it wasn't permitted.

You might encounter some problems for insuring the property. For example, if something were to happen it might not get covered because it was never permitted.

Thanks all.

The tax records after 1986 have the addition listed which correlates with what the owners are saying. Problem is the property was inherited in April due to the owner passing away unexpectedly, he bought the home in 1989. The family's knowledge is limited and they're not willing to research much into it.

(Buyers in this county don't seem to care about typical home buying concerns. It's a very hot market here and it will sell shortly for asking price and probably more)

Our realtor is telling us that this is very common with homes built prior to 1992 when the county building office began to keep digital records. She says most buyers don't seem to care which seems very odd to me but is certainly true.

All she was able to turn up was the assessors paperwork from 1986 that referenced a permit number. I'm sure there was a permit at some point but the county lost track of it....probably used it to roll one hell of a joint....it's Humboldt County after all.

We might go down to the building inspector and explain the situation in a general sense. I don't want to tip off the county that there might be non permitted construction and cause a huge headache for the sellers.

Thanks for the advice so far.

 

[Mr. Mach-ete]

Call a local real estate attorney who's experienced with such matters. My advice? Don't take advice from SVPT members regarding legal matters they have zero business commenting on.

 

[Machdup1]

If their is no permit, and you take ownership of the property, they can make you tear down the addition.

Run, unless you can get the current owner to produce records that satisfy the building inspector.

You will find that building inspectors have limited patience for unpermitted additions.

BTW, the sellers headaches are not your concern. You should be concerned with your legal position in the matter which cannot be clarified without the full involvement of the permit office and complete disclosure of all Information.