Permit required to build loft in condo?

[Hen Ley]

I'm looking at purchasing a condo that the current owner built a loft in. They didn't obtain a permit and said they didn't need to since it was constructed within their condo. Is that accurate- do they need a permit or not?

The loft is also super primitive and obviously not up to code (not attached to the wall, steep stairs, etc.), but they're counting the sq. ft. of it towards the total sq. ft. of the condo- That's not right, is it?