Problems with City Inspector on my first fixer upper

[John Baxter]

I've just bought my first fixer upper and feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew. It's an old wooden duplex in a nice neighborhood. I've been shocked by the poor quality tradesmen I've come across.
Now I have a major problem with a code inspector who has been knocking at the door claiming he's received reports of work without permits.
I have painted the interior, tiled the floor and done a few repairs which I don't think permits are required for- not sure though.
I paid an AC company to install central AC and I assumed they had all the permits required. I called them to check and they said they didn't have any permits so now I'm in a bad predicament.
I've been told it's best to avoid dealing with inspectors about anything and when they come to check off one permit, they will point out a bunch of other code violations you have to fix.
The inspector came once when I was at the property and I told him we just tiled and painted.
The neighbor told me he has come and knocked at the door and waited outside for hours everyday. Now I feel like I'm being harassed.
I have absolutely no idea what to do. I know they cannot enter your house without permission. I don't know if I just ignore him if he will go away. I have not received any letters in the mail. Can someone please offer some advice because this is my first rehab and I'm not experienced.

[Kyle Kingma]

Yes, that is horrible advice. If you're not pulling any permits, YOU open yourself up to closer scrutiny because the inspector doesn't know what you did or didn't do without a permit so they'll assume you did other things. Trust me, they don't want to be out there telling you how to be a decent person by ensuring the safety of the structure that you are going to put people in. Pull the permits you need, get the inspections just for those permits, and you won't have a problem. /rant

As for your particular issue, come clean and tell them what you have had done without a permit. Worst case scenario, they'll have you open it up and/or pay double the fee. If you are noncompliant, it will get worse for you (i.e. cutting services, liens, condemnation, etc.). An attorney isn't going to do anything for you other than take your money and talk to the people you can talk to yourself. Bite the bullet, fix it, learn from it, and move on.