Illegal duplex in Miami needing to be reclassified

[John Kihm]

Hello fellow BPer's! I'm in search of my first deal and came across a property that is currently listed as a single family home on my local property appraiser, however appears that the home was illegally converted to a duplex at some time (which is very common here in Miami). The funny thing is that it's in a area that is actually zoned for duplexes. The asking price looks good although I could use the "illegal conversion" as negotiation to get the price down ever more. Property appears to being cash flowing nicely although I'm still punching the numbers.

My question is to anyone who has gone thru the process of reclassifying their property from single family to a duplex (especially in South Florida). Not sure what to expect for timeline and cost. Seems like I would be able to do so as long as the units have been properly modified per local building codes.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated!! 

[Sean Howell]

Ahh..the joys of investing in Miami. Seems like EVERY Miami home has some sort of illegal efficiency or multifamily conversion. 

I'm not too versed on the subject but a couple things I would definitely look out for. Is your specific lot zoned duplex? Also a lot of these illegal conversions are done with such shoddy work it's possible you may have to re-do everything (electrical, plumbing, etc). Permitting for all of this may take awhile depending on which office you need to go to. If it's the building department office in Brickell it is an absolute nightmare and took me 2 months just to get my windows permitted! Goodluck and would love to hear updates on the process as this seems to be a common problem in South Florida