Bought a house - received notice permits weren't completed

[pheoxs]

I bought my first home back in August, it was a 2010 build. The basement was recently finished, AC installed at the same time, and a feeder electrical line run to the rear pad for a future garage.

I asked my realtor when we made an offer that all the permits and such had been completed and was told they are.

Now I receive notice from the city that they've tried contacting the previous owners multiple times for the final inspections but received no response, that the permit has expired, and I will need to apply for a new permit and have things inspected.

Is this not something that either the previous owners need to notify me about, or that my realtor should've caught? Or is this something I should've contacted the city and inquired about?

I'm assuming I'm more or less SOL but want to know for my sake / future houses is this another thing that my realtor missed that should've been caught?

[J-D]

Did you have a home inspector sign off? I don't know if it's something they all do but I know the last one I dealt with had us check permits thoroughly.

[01RedDX]

.

[spikerS]

actually, I am pretty sure the lawyer should have caught that.

[pheoxs]

Type of construction: Garage Feeder and Air Conditioning Electrical Installation

The electrical permits taken out by the previous owner of your property expired prior to the owner calling for final electrical inspections. Several notices were left to have the previous owner take care of this prior to the change of ownership but they did not respond to the notices. You are now responsible for obtaining new permits and having these electrical installations inspected.

This is what the notice says.

Should I be contacting the lawyer, the home inspector, or the realtor?

Or all of them?

[revelations]

Start with the lawyer (paralegal). Home Inspectors are just contractors who examine physical locations and most Realtors are useless if anything goes amiss like this.

[JordanLotoski]

In 14.1(d) of the listing contract states ...Do you know of any lack of permits for any development on the property? This should have been checked YES and disclosed by the selling agent in the private remarks of the listing

As buyers agents we are very limited to find out what permits are outstanding due to the privacy laws, We must trust what the listing agents tells us and the sellers tell the listing agents.

Non disclosure, that can help the seller sell the home is shady!!

Sent you a PM

[roopi]

Originally posted by JordanLotoski
In 14.1(d) of the listing contract states ...Do you know of any lack of permits for any development on the property? This should have been checked YES and disclosed by the selling agent in the private remarks of the listing

As buyers agents we are very limited to find out what permits are outstanding due to the privacy laws, We must trust what the listing agents tells us and the sellers tell the listing agents.

Non disclosure, that can help the seller sell the home is shady!!

Sent you a PM

So if the selling agent checked no does the buyer have any recourse or is the agent not liable?

[Wrath]

Originally posted by JordanLotoski
In 14.1(d) of the listing contract states ...Do you know of any lack of permits for any development on the property? This should have been checked YES and disclosed by the selling agent in the private remarks of the listing

As buyers agents we are very limited to find out what permits are outstanding due to the privacy laws, We must trust what the listing agents tells us and the sellers tell the listing agents.

Non disclosure, that can help the seller sell the home is shady!!

Sent you a PM


I agree with Jordan - When we sold our house our listing realtor made sure we included copies of the completed permits to ensure this went smoothly. (for our buyers piece of mind)

Lawyers and a purchasing realtors cannot get this sort of information and they rely on that section Jordon mentioned.

[JordanLotoski]

Originally posted by roopi


So if the selling agent checked no does the buyer have any recourse or is the agent not liable?

Sure, I am sure thats what happened here, Though they might have assumed they had their permits as they did make the call to the city to get things started, id say 50% wouldn't have even applied for permits on this.

none the less the sellers should have done their due dilligance to ensure all was completed

I will get to the bottom of this :banghead:

[pheoxs]

Thanks Jordan, much appreciated!

[syscal]

Originally posted by JordanLotoski
I will get to the bottom of this :banghead:

:thumbsup: Really cool of you to do that for him.

[killramos]

TLDR - Jordan is the shit!

[G-ZUS]

Originally posted by killramos
TLDR - Jordan is the shit!

:werd:

[Kloubek]

Originally posted by JordanLotoski


Sure, I am sure thats what happened here, Though they might have assumed they had their permits as they did make the call to the city to get things started, id say 50% wouldn't have even applied for permits on this.

Jordan, so you're saying that 50% of development in homes is typically not done with permits? Do you find it leads to any significant difficulty for the sale when this occurs?

[mr2mike]

I assume not because as in this case, there's no way to pull this info as a potential buyer.

People in Calgary don't care about anything past the paint color / light fixtures.

[JordanLotoski]

Originally posted by Kloubek


Jordan, so you're saying that 50% of development in homes is typically not done with permits? Do you find it leads to any significant difficulty for the sale when this occurs?

Not 50% of development, 50% of basements, AC units and so on. Personally I think its a cash grab for the city to collect their permit fee and then have you pay additional property taxes on your home.

[Kloubek]

Ok.. fair. 50% of basements.

The reason I ask is because there is a real possibility we may have to put our house on the market inside the next 6 months and I built a suite for my inlaw without permits. I'm hoping to heck it isn't going to make the sale of my home difficult.

I really should have; I used a master electrician and a journeyman plumber who I know personally to ensure it was done right.... I just didn't want to worry about the expense of the permits, and the possibility of them claiming I was building an income suite and causing issues.

[bspot]

Originally posted by JordanLotoski

As buyers agents we are very limited to find out what permits are outstanding due to the privacy laws, We must trust what the listing agents tells us and the sellers tell the listing agents.


That's disappointing, as current permit status is publicly available information that anyone can check on the City's website:

http://www.calgary.ca/_layouts/cocis/calgarymap/calgarymap.aspx

[JordanLotoski]

Originally posted by bspot


That's disappointing, as current permit status is publicly available information that anyone can check on the City's website:

http://www.calgary.ca/_layouts/cocis/calgarymap/calgarymap.aspx

Shows permits pulled for the last 3 years, nothing before that date along with pending permits.. Great tool none the less

[gwill]

Originally posted by Kloubek
Ok.. fair. 50% of basements.

The reason I ask is because there is a real possibility we may have to put our house on the market inside the next 6 months and I built a suite for my inlaw without permits. I'm hoping to heck it isn't going to make the sale of my home difficult.

I really should have; I used a master electrician and a journeyman plumber who I know personally to ensure it was done right.... I just didn't want to worry about the expense of the permits, and the possibility of them claiming I was building an income suite and causing issues.

When looking at properties this month I was told this is why realtors don't openly advertise in law suits as the legalities of most are sketchy.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by pheoxs

Now I receive notice from the city that they've tried contacting the previous owners multiple times for the final inspections but received no response, that the permit has expired, and I will need to apply for a new permit and have things inspected.


So all you have to do is get another permit and get the final inspections done, or do you have to rip open walls for the rough in inspection again?