When it comes to home repairs, improvements and additions, we know there is some confusion as to whether permits are required by a licensed contractor. In a challenging economy - such as the one many of us experienced this past year, there are more and more homeowners doing their own repairs and upgrades and therefore not pulling City or County Permits for the work. And while this may pass "under the radar" for some period of time, when it comes time to update or replace their current home insurance coverage, some are finding out that their policies will be dropped completely unless they are able to provide appropriate documents to the insurance company by that company's imposed deadline.

So moving forward, if you want to do an upgrade, repair or addition to your home, what should you do? Two things: 

1. First, call your City Zoning Department to see what is required in terms of permits from a local standpoint for the home repair/addition you have in mind.
   
   
2. If the answer from the City (or governing body) is that you DON'T need a permit, next pick up the phone and call your insurance agent to determine if your home insurance carrier requires the permit. If both your local government office and insurance company don't require a permit, go for it, but remember - when it comes time to sell your home, your repairs and updates will still have to pass a licensed inspection to enable a financed purchase from a new buyer. 

And a final note. Florida sellers are required by law to disclose unpermitted work at the time of sale of their home, or face legal action by the buyer to cover the cost of new permits, remodel changes to bring the project up to code, and legal fees.

In the end, it's always a good idea to utilize licensed and insured contractors to complete your home improvement work, but if you do decide to tackle it on your own, be sure to clear that decision with the appropriate authorities (above) to ensure you don't encounter unexpected financial recourse down the line!

Have questions? Contact us anytime!

Jessica Zwick is a Personal Lines Team Lead at Wren.