Permit Nightmare for Rehab - Halpppp -.-

[William Kwong]

So I have been trying to "START" my gut job renovations on my rental. I've heard from my contractor that specifically Jersey City in New Jersey is one of the MOST DIFFICULT cities to deal with going through the permit process.

It's been OVER 2 months where we have been trying to pull permits to begin demo and renovate. What I really want to know is going forward, how can I prevent this from happening again? This just doesn't seem feasible especially for investors who are flipping in this city. Two-three months of being idle seems unheard of in addition to the time it takes to renovate. What am I doing wrong? (Please note vacation was a factor as it was being processed through Christmas as well, but still...)

I will highlight the things we've done:

- I hired an architect to create the blue prints to ensure that ALL changes were in accordance with the city guidelines. So we wouldn't get constantly denied for plans that didn't go in accordance to city standards. (We've still been denied twice [Hi hats fire hazard & they denied a full BR so had to make a powder room instead] & now they are requesting "additional information".)

- Contractor paid an individual to expedite the blueprints and plans to the city - $350.00

- Contractor goes to the city to provide information, money, etc whenever required.

Things that are happening that are driving me NUTS...

- Plans submitted to about 2-3 different departments back and forth. Stayed in Zoning department for almost a month then went to Building Dpt.

- Approved (finally) and sent to the Building Department. (We've had to pay the city each time the plans gets sent elsewhere.) Every time we got denied, my contractor went back to the city and they informed him that an appointment needed to be made with the person who denied him. This took place on two different occasions and a lot of time wasted.

- Now the Building Department wants to have an inspector meet with my contractor. And then go to my house and inspect prior to renovations to approve me. I already have an FHA consultant who will the oversee the project and he has approved my plans. Nonetheless, I get it, but it's incredibly annoying that this inspector is only now coming into the picture.

Should I be doing something now to make up for lost time? And how can I prevent this if I ever buy in this city again. I check in daily on my contractor and he seems to be constantly on his game. So is it something I or he should be doing differently? Are people seeingt his as a trend with their rehab process?

Sorry for the vent-session, any input or advice would be much appreciated..