When to Do Permitted Work & Why

I can’t tell you how many times clients think they will save money by not permitting construction work.  They are only considering short term gain for exchange of possible long-term pain.  Certain types of work should be permitted, no question.

Here is the case as to why you should get work permitted…

1. Permits protects the Owner.  Having licensed contractors do the work is not enough.  You want to know that they did the work right and up to current code.  Codes change all the time.  An inspector from the building department validates that the work was done properly and signs-off on it.  This is especially important when the work you are contracting involves electrical, plumbing and/or structural.

2.  Permitted work adds value.  Say for example you remodeled a kitchen or added a bedroom but did not pull permits.  When you get ready to sell your property, you cannot advertise that it was a remodeled kitchen or that there was a bedroom added because the work done was unwarranted.

3.  Un-permitted electrical work can invalidate your insurance policy.  If you had major electrical work done in properly and say, it caused damage to your home.  Because it was done without proper permits and/or not up to code, your home insurance may in validate your policy.

4.  Un-permitted work can bite you as a seller in a negotiation.  It gives the buyer leverage over you because the work did not show up in the 3-R report.  This is more pronounced in a down real estate market like the one we are in today.