That our seller didn’t get a building
permit for the addition to the cabin
The first weekend after closing, Tom and Sally jumped in the car and drove to their new cabin. When they arrived, they found two men standing next to a pickup truck.
“What are you guys doing?” Tom asked.
“We’re doing a septic compliance inspection,” one of the men replied.
“Wait a minute,” said Tom.
“Our agent said the septic system was inspected last week and everything was ok.”
“Nope; we just did it now, and I think you’ve got problems.”
Uh-oh, Tom thought, as he had that sinking feeling that he should have checked things out more carefully.
The next week, Tom received a call from the head building inspector. Sure enough, the septic tank was cracked and needed to be replaced. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. I’ve got more bad news,” the building inspector said. “That 400 square foot addition your seller put on the cabin is too close to the boundary line and the bluff line above the lake. He never pulled a building permit. I’m afraid you’re going to have to have it removed.”
Shocked, Tom and Sally spent the next two days checking county records for evidence of a building permit. None was found. Two subsequent appearances before the local county board, looking for mercy, were to no avail. The addition had to be removed.
The fun was over. The following year, Tom and Sally sold the cabin and purchased another one four miles away. Before they closed, they made sure they surveyed the property and thoroughly checked all of the building records for their new cabin.