Trying to not get fined by the city

[Andre Crabb]

Hey BP! I could use some advice here to have my SFH not turn into a money pit...

Its a 1946 SFH in Tampa, Florida with a detached garage that has plumbing and electric, and was half-baked to a livable unit.

Ideally I'd like to finish the AirBnb conversion, but am assuming nothing was permitted. (Water supply from the main house, a new drain, a small electrical panel, outdoor washer/dryer).

The question is...what's the best way to move forward?

- Get some inspector to come view the area and tell me what is currently wrong with the unit? If this inspector is from the city...will they start fining me for any current violations?

- Just start the work with a new architect and ask them if anything existing needs to change?

- Keep it all under the hood and dont permit things?

- Don't do the conversion at all and just use the garage as a garage.

Of course there's a lot of variables, but its my first house and investment and I want to learn before I just go for it, fearing losing lots of money in fines, fees, etc.

Thanks!

Andre

[Tom Fidrych]

You can go to the county office yourself and see what permits have been pulled for the property. Also, check with zoning to see if it is even possible to convert the garage into an ADU. Just state you are checking into the feasibility of doing it but don't say it has been done.

Generally, you do not want the county to inspect and tell you what is wrong as you may open a Pandora's box of fines and fees.

Some people just punk ADU's in and don't worry about the permitting but that approach may open you up to legal issues.