Is Getting A Permit Really Necessary? – Walnut Creek Real Estate

Many times over the years, I’ve been involved in home sales in which the seller had done work to their home without getting permits from the local city or county building department. The reasons are usually along the lines of “I didn’t think I needed one” or “It’s too expensive and unnecessary”. While there may be some added expense and time, it usually is much less dramatic than the homeowner anticipates. There are also a number of very good reasons to get a permit for any substantial work taking place on your property:

• A building inspector can be a second set of eyes to make sure the contractor hasn’t missed anything and that the project is up to current building codes.
• When you sell, any work completed without a permit will need to be disclosed to potential buyers. Some buyers become very concerned and even suspicious when they find out work has been done without permits.
• Having permits available for prospective buyers makes them feel like the home has been well cared for and things have been done the right way, leading to less issues and concerns during home inspections.

Make sure when a permit is obtained by a contractor you have doing work for you that the permit is finalized, or signed off on by the city or county when complete. Some roof or HVAC contractors, for example, may obtain an initial permit, but leave it up to the homeowner to have the permit finalized after the job is completed. Also, make sure you keep finalized permits with your important documents. I recently represented a home seller where the buyer’s appraiser questioned whether an addition was done properly with permits. Although the work was done almost 20 years earlier, because the seller was able to produce the permit, a possible stumbling block to the sale was eliminated.