How does Harris county deal with illegal (room) additions? (Houston: for sale, real estate)

[davidt1]

Someone has a house for sale. They put in an additional room without a permit. What kind of actions does Harris county take when an illegal addition is discovered?

Fines the seller? Fines the buyer? Require a tear down? Require a permit? Require back taxes?

What should the buyer do?

Thanks.

[desertsun41]

Originally Posted by davidt1

Someone has a house for sale. They put in an additional room without a permit. What kind of actions does Harris county take when an illegal addition is discovered?

Fines the seller? Fines the buyer? Require a tear down? Require a permit? Require back taxes?

What should the buyer do?

Thanks.

A buyer SHOULD NOT buy it. If there were ever a major insurance claim, the insurance company would investigate all loop holes to get out of paying on the claim and they will find out about the illegal work done and not pay. As far as the once the illegal addition is already done, I never heard of code officials making anyone tear the addition down but they most certainly can. If caught in the process of building they will issue a stop work order and can make you tear it all back out.

During these depression times, these code officials have very little to do within their 8 hour days so they feel the need to feel important by being complete azzholes. And I can tell you that they are very very tough on homeowners these days who do their own work. During boom times they were so busy they rarely even left their car. We called that drive by inspections. Sheesh.....don't tell anyone. Builders were getting away with quite a lot in those days. Don't ask me because I will never tell the things I seen. It ain't good.

[crone]

Are there building codes in Texas counties? They care about water, sewer, curb cuts into their roads and flooding. I could put a 10 story addition onto my house and it is none of their business. The State wants licensed plumbers and electricians doing all work, but they do not inspect or require a permit. Has the law changed from the olden days?

[desertsun41]

Originally Posted by crone

Are there building codes in Texas counties? They care about water, sewer, curb cuts into their roads and flooding. I could put a 10 story addition onto my house and it is none of their business. The State wants licensed plumbers and electricians doing all work, but they do not inspect or require a permit. Has the law changed from the olden days?

All counties, even remote unincorporated ones will have strict standards concerning waste management (septic systems) which will fall under state mandate. But most unincorporated counties have will have no code enforcement for building a home. You do whatever the hell you want to.

[jimmyev]

Originally Posted by desertsun41

A buyer SHOULD NOT buy it. If there were ever a major insurance claim, the insurance company would investigate all loop holes to get out of paying on the claim and they will find out about the illegal work done and not pay. As far as the once the illegal addition is already done, I never heard of code officials making anyone tear the addition down but they most certainly can. If caught in the process of building they will issue a stop work order and can make you tear it all back out.

Originally Posted by desertsun41

All counties, even remote unincorporated ones will have strict standards concerning waste management (septic systems) which will fall under state mandate. But most unincorporated counties have will have no code enforcement for building a home. You do whatever the hell you want to.

Unincorporated Harris County doesn't have building codes. Period. So the addition needed no permit. The addition couldn't have a permit. So why should they stay away from it?

Now they're issuing some sort of certificate for the roof for hurricanes, but the roof installer submits there paperwork after the roof is replaced to the county, and it's granted without an inspection. The roofer told me my insurance company would need it, but they never asked.

[davidt1]

Interesting!

I thought someone somewhere would be upset because and an unreported addition means lost property taxes for the county.

Would Houston real estate agents chime in, please?

[Poltracker]

Originally Posted by davidt1

Interesting!

I thought someone somewhere would be upset because and an unreported addition means lost property taxes for the county.

Would Houston real estate agents chime in, please?

Not particularly. They will start taxing when they notice it, they do look BTW. Just visited my cousin who built a house out of a metal building. There was already another house on the property (25 acres). The building looked like a shop. Took the county 2 years (not Harris but just to the north) to figure out it was another residence and start taxing it that way. Did not ask if they had to pay back taxes for the previous 2 years on it though.

[geraldreece]

[SIZE=2][SIZE=2]Typically, the county will issue a red ticket to the homeowner while construction is taking place. Also note, if you live in a Homeowners Association (HOA) the property managers are typically reviewing any additions and will require permits be pulled based on the type of work and contract amount for the job. In the event you are the new owner of an non-permitted home, the encumbrances will probably have to be resolved prior to closing.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2][/SIZE][/SIZE]

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by davidt1

Interesting!

I thought someone somewhere would be upset because and an unreported addition means lost property taxes for the county.

Would Houston real estate agents chime in, please?

City of Houston code enforcement takes a much more dim view of "ninja" additions.

I've been told face-to-face by a city inspector that no one cares if you quietly improve your property without a permit, but stepping outside the footprint or significantly altering the structure is going to be dealt with harshly.

[Supermac34]

In unincorporated portions of Harris county, the only people that care are the HOA and HCAD. HCAD cares because they want to tax you higher, but if the addition is not visible or measurable from the outside (adding a room to attic space) they will never know.

The HOA cares because if you add to the house and it violates the HOA deed restrictions, you can then get in trouble with the HOA.

The only other thing that might matter is if you add over the easement (over the building line) in your neighborhood. That's a no-no.