Permit or No? East Point Laundry to Bathroom Conversion

[Ericka G.]

Hi all,

Bought a 3/1 + den in East Point that I'm planning to make a 4/2.  Just need to add a closet to the fourth room to officially make it a bedroom and will be converting a large laundry room off the kitchen into a 3 piece bathroom.  I am hoping to have it tenant ready by early June at the latest.

I've had 4 different contractors come by to look at the project and give estimates,  3 of the 4 said that this is a job that would be best done without permits because we're working with the existing plumbing/house footprint (not adding rooms or anything) so it could count as "repairs." They also note that the EP permitting process is a big pain to be avoided if possible.

One of the contractors initially said that we should probably permit the job just to be safe but then sent me a cost estimate assuming that we'd do the job without permits but added that permitting it would add $500 and 1 month to the timeline.  They'd do the work discreetly if we do this without a permit.

My questions: 

- If I move forward without permitting, will I run into problems when I sell in 5-10 years as a 4/2?

- What will happen if we get caught beyond a fine?

- Do you think it is worth the risk to move forward without permitting? Since pretty much all 4 contractors suggested that route I'm thinking it might be ok, but wanted to check here first.  They all have solid experience in this area 

Any input would be much appreciated.