So, You Finished Your Basement Without A Building Permit -- Now What?


So, You Finished Your Basement Without A Building Permit -- Now What?
By Scott Rogers • July 28, 2010
As I've mentioned before, you need to obtain a building permit if you are finishing your basement, even if you are finishing it yourself. Doing so triggers inspections by Harrisonburg or Rockingham County that will help to ensure that your newly finished basement is safe. It will also keep you out of trouble when you're selling your home: In selling your home, you are required to disclose any material adverse facts about your home. In my view, the fact that the basement was finished (or other improvements were made) without permits and inspections is a material adverse fact about the house. It's not necessarily that the house is unsafe, but the fact that parts of the home were never inspected by the locality create that possibility. (me, October 2009) So, if you find yourself in this situation, you'll probably make a phone call something like this.... Guilt-Ridden Permit-less Basement Finisher: Honey, how do you block Caller ID? Oh yeah, 67, ok, here goes -- wish me luck. Rockingham County Community Development Office: Good Afternoon, Community Development... Guilt-Ridden Permit-less Basement Finisher: Uh, yes, I had a question about building permits. Rockingham County Community Development Office: O.K., what is your question? Guilt-Ridden Permit-less Basement Finisher: Well, uh, I heard that I have to get a permit to finish the basement on my house, is that right? Rockingham County Community Development Office: Yes it is, would you like me to send you the necessary paperwork? What is your name and your property address? Guilt-Ridden Permit-less Basement Finisher: Oh, uh, well, so, how much does that cost? Rockingham County Community Development Office: <Insert cost here> Guilt-Ridden Permit-less Basement Finisher: Yeah, ok, and so if someone finishes their basement but didn't get a permit, what do they need to do then? Is there sort of fine or penalty? Rockingham County Community Development Office: (Smiling) When did you finish your basement? Guilt-Ridden Permit-less Basement Finisher: Oh, no, it wasn't (whispers: necessarily) me, but I was just curious about how all of that would work. Rockingham County Community Development Office: Oh, I see. (Still smiling) Conversation continues.... Good news, folks, they won't lock you up if you confess to having finished your basement without a permit. Instead, they'll help you through the permit process, perform the necessary inspections, and will likely give you the thumbs up, indicating that everything has been completed according to code. Here are some comments from some of my clients who had their permit-less basement inspected a few weeks ago in preparation for marketing and selling their home. I just finished up with the building inspector and he signed off on everything--it was a very painless process (not counting my anxiety about what would happen). From what I understand, someone from the county real estate office will follow up to add the additional livable space to our property assessment. So we are in good shape. The permit for our basement was $171--that was for framing, electric, and hvac. If we installed a toilet and/or shower I believe we would have had to pay for a plumbing permit too (they told us we didn't need one just to install the utility sink) but I'm guessing that would have brought the total up to around $200. So, as you can see, it's not an irreversible decision. If you finished your basement without a permit, consider contacting Harrisonburg or Rockingham County today to have your basement inspected! Receive Updates by Email Recent Articles:* Is There A Price You WOULD Pay For This House? There Are Plenty Of Types Of Houses That Exist That Just Are Not Available To Purchase Home Sales By Price Range In The City Of Harrisonburg Are You Compromising On Aspects Of Your Next Home That You Can Or Cannot Change Later? How Much Slower Are The Winter Months In Our Local Housing Market? Rockingham County and New Home Sales Drive Surge in Area Housing Market Find The Balance Between Optimistic And Realistic Home Pricing Room Size Is Difficult To Understand Solely From Real Estate Photos How Much Would You Value Not Having To Prepare Your Home For Showings? One Out Of Four Homes Is Taking Longer Than A Month To Sell
Have any questions? Contact Scott Rogers at 540-578-0102 or scott@funkhousergroup.com
Based on information from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of REALTORS® or its MLS, for the period Jan 1, 2000 through Nov 24, 2024 (unless otherwise noted).
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