What are the implications of buying a property with an unpermitted addition and how do you find out if it was permitted or not?

TIA

1. You have to sell a house with a known unpermitted addition (it's specifically listed on the seller's disclosure).
2. Ask the seller or call the permitting office and ask.

Here's my three thoughts:

1. Was it done safely and well? I've seen unpermitted work that I wouldn't let my dog sleep in, and I've seen unpermitted work that looked better than permitted work. Electrical? Plumbing? Structural?

2. Are you getting a loan? If you are, the appraiser is going to use the square footage on the CAD and call out the delta and then only give you credit for permitted space.

3. Property taxes will likely be based only on permitted space.

Bonus 4. This doesn't really apply to markets in Texas that I know of, but there are definitely places in the US where the local government will try to sniff out unpermitted work during marketing then hit the new owner with a demand to bring it up to code immediately or demo it.

This is in Virginia and the addition is approximately 800sq ft to the living room. The roof over the addition has a low pitch that requires metal roofing but it's covered in shingles.

The addition was done before 2014 when the current seller moved in and they don't know if it's permitted or not, so they say.

The lender did not require an appraisal. I did the inspection and also had a roofer do a separate inspection and they both identified the low pitch.

Red Pear Realty said:

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2. Are you getting a loan? If you are, the appraiser is going to use the square footage on the CAD and call out the delta and then only give you credit for permitted space.

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If the addition is of similar quality and condition to the rest of the home it can be included. Garage conversions are the most common, but obviously not the only type. As long as I can show market acceptance the lenders I work with are just fine with including it in the overall GLA or as a line item adjustment. Other states, cities, lenders ets might be different, but it not a hard or fast rule that it has to be excluded.

Quote:

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The roof over the addition has a low pitch that requires metal roofing but it's covered in shingles.

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Is the interior ceiling height the same and how's the quality of the addition. A low pitch doesn't necessarily indicate no permits were pulled.


Some larger municipalities have online permit records. San Antonio's is pretty weak and not all inclusive. I tend to not put a lot of faith in the results.

Low pitched roofing can be shingles if done properly with ice and water underneath and between 2/12 and 4/12 pitch. This is generally a pretty easy pitch to accomplish if the addition was started high enough up the existing face.

Permittingwhere I am is generally just a money grab. For roofing inspections the inspector generally drives by to make sure you put shingles on the roof you requested a permit for. I've only had one actually get out of the truck.

Agree with the above that permitting for construction by no means implies "done right" status.