Can You Sell a House with Unpermitted Work?
You finally found a buyer for your house—then you remember that bathroom remodel you did without permits. Now what? Before panic sets in, let’s talk about your options for selling a house with some unofficial improvements.
At Chattanooga Property Solutions, we buy houses in Chattanooga, TN, and we’ve seen it all when it comes to selling a house with unpermitted work. Let us walk you through what to expect if you’re dealing with work that wasn’t permitted.
What Is Unpermitted Work?
A permit isn’t just paperwork—it’s the city’s way of checking that home improvements are safe and follow local rules. Any changes made without getting this official okay are considered unpermitted work or illegal renovations. Permits protect both current owners and future buyers by ensuring work meets safety standards.
How to Find Out If Your House Has Unpermitted Work
To spot permit violations in your house, start by checking if major changes match the original blueprints—think extra bedrooms or a new garage. Your city’s building department keeps records of all approved work, so grab those and compare them to what you see.
Recent upgrades, such as a bathroom remodel or roof work, often need permits, and sellers don’t always mention what was done without proper approval. Make it your business to know since you could face headaches later if the work wasn’t properly documented.
Selling a House with Unpermitted Work
Selling a house with unpermitted work is more common than you might think—about half of homes have improvements done without proper permits. You’ve got two choices: sell as-is or get retroactive permits.
Being upfront about unpermitted work is essential when selling, but it typically means accepting a lower price since buyers are taking on the risk. If you want to avoid a price cut, you can get permits after the fact.
Have a contractor check the work first before selling your house—sometimes it’s just paperwork and a quick inspection; other times, you’ll need to fix things to meet code.
Your local market matters too. In a seller’s market, buyers might not care as much about unpermitted work, while in a buyer’s market, they’ll likely push for bigger discounts.
Risks of Selling a House with Unpermitted Work
Skipped permits mean real selling property issues. You’ll need to tell buyers about it—and that usually leads to lower offers or scared-off buyers. Plus, if something goes wrong in those areas, insurance won’t help. Worse yet, the city might make you get expensive permits after the fact or tear the work down completely.
You might face some serious home sale challenges like surprise tax bills or your lender demanding full payment if they find out about work done without permits.
Sell Your House Fast with Chattanooga Property Solutions
At Chattanooga Property Solutions, we’ve helped countless homeowners through the situation of selling a house with unpermitted work, whether they choose to obtain retroactive permits or prefer selling the house as-is. Get your fair cash offer today by calling us at (423) 454-3070.