Legal 4-plex - now Building Control say County Records are wrong

[James Haig Streeter]

Hi, I own a Victorian 4-plex in the SF Bay Area, which at some point would have been converted from a single family home.  County records, Property Tax records, and the Title report all show it as a 4-unit building, and so I bought it in good faith as a legal 4-plex.   However, the local Building Control is now telling me they think the County records are wrong and it should be a 3-plex, as there are only 3 gas/electric meters, not 4 (2 units share 1 meter), plus they can't find any records of when these 2 units where created - note the building is from 1900.

If this is correct, is the County liable for providing incorrect records used to purchase the property? If I knew this when I purchased it, I either would not have bought it or negotiated a lower price.

Clearly, if Building Control forces me to convert 2 units into 1 this has huge financial implications, with loss of property value, rental income, and construction costs.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks, James