Upgrades Without a Permit
It may seem like going through the rigmarole of getting permits to finish your basement or turn a powder room into a full bath is more trouble than it’s worth.
There is a financial and time cost (not to mention a bureaucratic headache) involved when you apply for the proper permits, and if your home improvement project is relatively small, you might wonder what the big deal is in skipping that part of the process.
In addition, some homeowners might forgo permits in order to keep the luxurious upgrades off of their tax assessment, thereby keeping their property taxes at the pre-renovation level.
But doing any upgrades or renovations to your home without a permit can make your house completely unsalable. Appraisers, home inspectors, and even the mortgage lender can and often will ask for record of the permits for your home renovation.
Not having permits on record can stop a sale in its tracks — and even if the sale does go through, it leaves you open to a lawsuit in the future if there’s a problem down the road for the new owners.
