Pre-purchase inspection of a home that looks to have had additions done but no permits filed with Municipality

8/3/2017 at 3:24:23 PM

Hi Doug

Great question. In Manitoba we have a disclosure form on realestate forms that the owner must disclose info on any upgrades additions etc and relevant permits and they would be responsible for disclosing this info and costs to repair even after you purchasing without letting you know. All material like drywall etc have bar codes letting you know when the material was purchased. Any work done without permits would have to be brought up to todays building codes etc. Before you purchase you need to get owners and laywers get this disclosure accepted or you could be on hook for costs

8/4/2017 at 12:19:20 PM

Hi Jeff,

I also have a house in London that I am currently selling , one which I did a lot of renovations to and did not use permits, as I was the homeowner. Homeowners that do their own renovations have some more leeway in terms of permits, and it can go either way. They can build according to code, looking to the future when they want to sell, or they can cheap out. Your code concerns in terms of putting on more additions have to do with framing and electrical For the most part. You can put in a condition of requiring a more intrusive home inspection, from an inspector that does thermal scans so you can see how a house is insulated, etc.