Renovating or remodeling your home remains one of the most effective ways to add value. Unfortunately, many homeowners make the dangerous mistake of starting a home improvement project without the protection of a permit from the appropriate building authority. Here are some of the reasons why it is so important to always obtain a permit for construction:

1) Life safety is the primary goal of the building permit process. According to Lee Edging, Building Inspector for the City of San Diego, "The best safety practice is to follow the steps established by the
inspection process. By avoiding the inspection process, you are eliminating the opportunity for safety compliance". Any work that is found to be underway without a permit is subject to the doubling of permit fees as well as significant fines.

2) Any work completed without a building permit is a material fact and will affect the value of a property. According to Rick Hoffman,President & COO of Coldwell Banker San Diego, "the seller and agent have a duty to disclose material facts which affect the value or desirability of the property". According to Hoffman, the first liability to the agent for the seller is to disclose this information. Not doing so can result in very serious consequences.

3) The potential financial exposure associated with performing work without the appropriate building permits far outweighs the short term savings one may have achieved by circumventing the process established to protect them. According to Larry Murnane, a real estate attorney with the San Diego firm Peterson & Price, "failure to disclose work performed without a building permit is one of the most common excuses for a lawsuit". Lack of a building permit is a primary cause of litigation associated with real estate transactions.

The existence of a completed inspection record and associated documentation helps to ensure the worst case does not happen.