Doing property improvements without the required permits and licensed contractors can cost you a big headache.
Nowadays, a lot of homeowners who try to sell their properties, obtain insurance policies or simply want the peace of mind of living in a safe home, are paying the consequences of taking a short cut when upgrading their electrical installations.
By choosing to go the cheapest route and do the improvements by themselves or hiring handymen that “know how to do everything” usually ends up being a costly mistake in the long run.
What kind of trouble are you buying?

Dangerous Conditions: Even if you plan to live in that property forever, keep in mind that you may be subject to conditions that affect your safety, without knowing it. Code violations, overloaded installations, unproperly protected wiring, are only some of the issues we usually find on these occasions.

Insurance: Most insurance companies conduct a thorough investigation of both current conditions and the history of the property. Work done without permits, by unqualified personnel are usually quickly detected and cause the increase in insurance premiums or even the cancellation of coverage.

Real Estate Value: A home that has unpermitted work done is a home with baggage, and could end up selling cheaper than their permitted equivalents. As a buyer, you should know what you are getting into before you agree to purchase a home with no permits for works that require them. Unpermitted works need to be disclosed to buyers, so can carry discounts on selling prices.
Even mortgage companies can require an immediate loan repayment due to unpermitted additions.

Penalization: In the case that City inspectors come down on homeowners with unpermitted work, they can require to get the work permitted. That could include hiring a qualified professional, making changes to meet current code requirements, etc.
Some cases could get to the extreme of having to demolish part of the facilities and redo them.

So, be smart, do it right from the beginning.

Francisco Beroiz is an Electrical Engineer with 18 years of field experience, and Manager of Al Siefert Electric. State Licensed Electrical Contracting company qualified by Al Siefert #EC0002423.
The articles he writes are about items of interest and questions from his customers. Please call Francisco if you have questions concerning electric service, installation, and repair.

(954) 493-9411