Advice on Multi-Family Rehab

[Murtuza Bengali]

Hello BP community,

Looking for your guidance and advice. 

We are about to close on a 3-family in Weehawken, NJ in a couple of weeks. The 2nd and 3rd floor needs rehab work including, 

- Full Painting Flooring (Vinyl/Linoleum)

- Replace Kitchen cabinets

- Renovate the Bathrooms (replace tiles)

- Drop a wall and make a corridor

- Electrical throughout 

My question is, do I need to apply for a permit for all of this work? I spoke with the Building Department and they said that because this is a 3-family that any work will need a permit. 

If yes, can I only use a general contractor that has a license? We’ve spoken with a couple who said they should be able to “borrow” a license and do the work. The estimates are wildly different across the three contractors we’ve spoken to so saving money is also obviously a concern. But also want to make sure that we aren’t flouting rules and at the same time not straight jacketing ourselves under undue process and paperwork. So really want to do things only if it is absolutely necessary. 

Any general advice that you might have would be helpful as well. It is a significant amount of work that we will be taking on so looking for all the inputs. 

Thanks in advance. 
MB