House in Brooklyn was extended, how do I find out if it was done legally

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  • #596766
    Ofcourse
    Member

    House in Brooklyn was extended, how do I find out if it was done legally (owner might not be forthcoming)?

    I know of a house for sale which was extended. Someone told me they think the extension was illegal (without approval/permit).

    To begin with, whats the cheapest and most accurate way to find out if the extension was legal?

    If the extension wasnt legal (not enough feet left til the end of the property), buyer wont be able to get mortgage. What are the options if its illegal and someone wants to buy the house and get a mortgage?

    #765638
    eclipse
    Member

    Ask privately.

    If the guy gets in trouble,the house won’t be for sale until he “undoes” it anyway.I know 2 people that happened to.

    #765639
    eclipse
    Member

    I meant,ask the kind of person who won’t “maser” on the fellow who “over-built”.

    #765640
    am yisrael chai
    Participant

    you can look it up yourself if you have the block & lot number & take a trip downtown

    #765641
    Shrek
    Member

    check the public records for the home in question. you can see if they got permits to extend. the information is available online, and it is free.

    #765642
    yaakov doe
    Participant

    Go to the Dept of Buildings website and see if a permit was issued and the building is within the scope of the permit.

    http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/bis/bis.shtml

    #765643
    Ofcourse
    Member

    yaakov doe, thanks a mil!!!

    I looked it up and found an active violation dating back to 1986, Type: Alteration (2 of them, ALT….). Does this mean a buyer cant get a mortgage? Is there any way to get rid of violations? Do people undo additions? Is this house unsellable otherwise?

    Someone said to have a new survey done. How would that change anything?

    #765644
    commonsense
    Participant

    yaakov doe, thanx for the link, i tried my own house and found a violation, how can I find out what the violation is?

    #765645

    Contact a professional architect or building engineer. Don’t play with this kind of stuff yourself in NY; you can lose everything.

    In fact, when I had yechidus with the Admou”r meCreedmoor, he told me that if you set your house alight, you will not be able to collect insurance on the illegally extended part.

    Seriously, violations of any type are serious business. Don’t touch a home or building with uncorrectable major violations. Sometimes an architect can correct them but fines probably have to be paid along with steep planning fees.

    #765646
    Ofcourse
    Member

    So the best person to contact here is an architect? In my case its a relatives house and they have to sell.

    This violation thing is so strange. Why do they keep a record of it since 1986 and do nothing? Only when someone wants to get a mortgage there’s a problem? If the Dept of Buildings was aware of it in 1986 why didnt they do anything?

    #765647
    walton157
    Member

    @ofcourse: Forget 1986, the records go back to the 20s and 30s.

    #765648
    Ofcourse
    Member

    Walton, my question is, if theyre aware of a violation, why not go after the owner? Why wait til the house is sold?

    #765649
    Sacrilege
    Member

    ofcourse

    It will come up on the Title Report when they want to sell and then they will have to straighten it out. Since it is a Buyer’s market they wont get anything from the Purchasers, if there are a lot of violations and liens against the property it can get pretty pricey on the Seller’s title bill.

    #765650
    Ofcourse
    Member

    Since Im related to the owners, what can be done in advance of selling?

    #765651
    commonsense
    Participant

    we had no problem getting a mortgage and renewing it twice, so the violation can’t be too major. how can i find anything out without contacting an architect?

    #765652
    Ofcourse
    Member

    commonsense, why are you bothering to look into it, if it had no effect on getting a mortgage?

    Were the violations accumulated after you bought the house or before?

    Which professional is able (and how) to get rid of violations? It must be some people$ career.

    #765653
    commonsense
    Participant

    of course, i only clicked on the link because it was posted here and i wanted to see what they said about my house. no one told us there was a violation so i have no clue why there is one there. i would like to know what is going on.

    #765654
    Sacrilege
    Member

    You can get rid of them yourself.

    Once you find out what violation you are dealing with you go to nyc.gov/finance and on the right side of the page there are options of what you can pay for (ECB violations, Health violations etc..)

    #765655
    Homeowner
    Member

    Not every violation can be cured simply by paying a fine.

    #765656
    Ofcourse
    Member

    Sac, I checked. Theres nothing in the menu concerning DOB (Dept of Buildings) violations involving Alterations (ALT). Looks like I need an architect for getting the details on this Violation.

    #765657
    commonsense
    Participant

    i need the link so i am posting to get it back on top.

    #765658

    There has always been such a backup with violations that NY only bothers with the big ones – dangerous or causing inconvenience to others – or when neighbors really complain (as in, unfortunately, shuls in homes).

    I know someone who called a violation abatement contractor to get rid of his shvigger when she overstayed her welcome and he reported her as a violation!

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