blu6385
Member since 5/08 8351 total posts
Name:
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permits v co? what is it and when do you need it
what exactly is a CO and when are you suppose to get one? is it differnt from applying for a permit? if so when do you need to apply for a permit
For example we want to redo our current bathroom eventually do we need to apply for anything.
Another example the house we bought had a partially finsihed basement it needs to be redone when we do we will expand the basment to be more finised but still have a portion be unfinished where the boiler and water tank is and it will be used for storage. would we need to apply for something?
how about if we add a bathroom down there?
if we want to add a bathroom upstairs what would we need (there a space gutted out for it already it just was never put it)
will any of the above make my taxes go up?
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GoldenRod
10 years on LIF!
Member since 11/06 26792 total posts
Name:
Shawn
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Re: permits v co? what is it and when do you need it
A permit allows you to make changes to your house. A Certificate of Occupancy says that everything on the town's records has been inspected and OK'd.
You get a permit to do reno, then at the end of the permit process, after all the inspections are done, the town gives you a CO.
Every town is different, and some villages within the town have different rules. You really need to go to the Town Hall, and speak with the permit department and find out what you can and can't do.
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Re: permits v co? what is it and when do you need it
Exactly - You get the permits first (the town approves the work, plans, etc.) and then you have to close it out by getting the C/O (the town does various inspections when the work is done).
A lot of people know to do the former, but not the latter, so when they go to sell, we find out there are "open permits." It's usually easier to close out an open permit and get a C/O than start the process. But if the permit was obtained years ago and rules/codes changed, you will need to bring everything up to current requirements to get the C/O.
It stands for certificate of occupancy.
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blu6385
Member since 5/08 8351 total posts
Name:
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Re: permits v co? what is it and when do you need it
so question what happens if i dont get a permit . For say updating my current bathroom will i not be able to sell my house. I dont know if i actually need a permit to update it but if i do i kind of think its a little ridiculous and how will anyone really know? (not saying i wont get one if i do need one)
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Re: permits v co? what is it and when do you need it
If you are renovating the interior of your house (kitchen, bath, etc.), you generally don't need it. If you are adding something to the house that wasn't originally there, you will need it.
So if you are taking a half bath and making it a full bath by adding a tub and/or shower - yes, you should technically get a permit.
And obviously if you are adding a new bath (going from one bathroom house to two), you need permits.
But normally, if you are just renovating a bathroom that's already there (putting in new fixtures, new tile, new lighting), you wouldn't need one.
As someone else said, you can always inquire with your town whether a renovation you are contemplating requires a permit.
Permit issues (or lack thereof) usually come up on a title report when you go to sell (title company does research and see what changes were made and what C/Os are on file and not on file). The only other way it would come up is if you decide to do other work to your house and you do go through the process of getting permits/C/Os, the town will come look at the new work you are doing and may see previous renovations that don't have permits/C/Os. At that point, they could issue a violation and you would have to cure it by getting the permits/COs, or just removing the non compliant addition/improvement. Interior renovations wouldn't come up on title.
Generally speaking about C/Os - Whether or not lack of C/Os is a problem for selling depends on the buyer and their lender. If a cash buyer knows there are no C/Os for something and is fine with it, then that's the end of the problem. But an improvement without a C/O doesn't really add value to the house (that's why you sometimes see things on listings like "pool is a gift" -- that's listing speak for "there is no C/O for it.").
Some lenders will overlook things like an extra half bath or a deck or shed with no C/O, but for a major renovation, lack of C/O would be a problem. I have a deal in contract now where we found out after my buyers made an offer on the house that the rear dormer has no C/O. That's will be a problem for their lender, or any lender, but it turns out the upstairs bathroom is non-compliant, so in order to get the C/O for the dormer, the bathroom has to be ripped out (it would be very costly to make it compliant). The seller agreed to do that work and get the C/O, but it was something that almost blew up the sale. So that's something to be aware of.
If I were you, I wouldn't worry about renovating a bathroom, assuming square footage of bath will be the same and there is an existing full bath there now.
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