Unpermitted work refers to changes in the home that may have been done against the housing code of the neighborhood in which a homeowner lives. It's fairly common to find, but the steps to remediate it aren't always so simple. Learn more about how (and why) most owners probably have some type of unpermitted work in their home, and the steps they can take to make it right.

How It Happens

Because permit laws vary from town to town, it's relatively easy to make a mistake. Property owners assume they can tear down a wall or reconfigure their pipes without anyone's permission. After all, it is their property. Often, unpermitted work is completed by the owner of the home, as a DIY project. This is often done to save money and the expense and hassle of hiring an outside contractor. Unfortunately, owners don't often know all of the ins and outs of plumbing, electrical or structural work, so the completed job may not be up to code standards. As a result, one mistake in a DIY project could potentially affect someone else's plumbing or even the overall safety of the air or water quality. HOA's, city authorities, and even federal officials create permit laws to reduce the chances of this occurring.

Tracking Down Information

The first thing a homeowner should do is start figuring out what happened and when it occurred. Permit laws aren't static—they change according to who's in charge and which threats are the most pressing. If the current homeowner can prove that the renovations occurred prior to a law change, it may be as simple as showing the date of the receipts and putting the matter to rest immediately.

Murfreesboro homeowners can also look to the original blueprints of the home or contact the previous owners to find out when the work was completed. Blueprints can usually be found either through an HOA or at the local City Hall. The blueprints will give homeowners an idea of how much work was done to the home since its original construction, even if they can't tell a homeowner when the work was done.

Taking Responsibility

It's never going to be easy to take the blame for someone else's mistakes, but sometimes, there's no other way. If homeowners can't track down the information they need to clear their names, they should go to their city officials or HOA leaders and tell them what they do know. Homeowners should tell the officials the steps that were taken to find the right data. Neighborhood authorities can tell homeowners what to do next. They may have an inspector come out, survey the work, and then grant a retroactive permit if the work was done correctly. In the worst-case scenario though, a homeowner will have to make the fixes themselves according to the latest permit laws.

Final Thoughts

Homeowners can and should request that the previous owner take financial responsibility for any charges that result from unpermitted work. However, this may be difficult to do in practice, especially if the homeowner claims they had nothing to do with the renovations. In rare cases, a title insurance company may take partial financial responsibility for unpermitted work. There's also the option of selling the home as-is in the future if homeowners don't want to do the work themselves. However, this often signals a potential buyer that the home is dangerous or unsafe, which can mean much lower offers.

Finding unpermitted work is a frustrating experience on a number of levels, but homeowners can take steps to correct the problem. In many cases, correcting the work is as easy as showing a few receipts. However, there is a chance that it may be more complicated to put your home back in order.