All Forum Posts by: Camden Fischer

Oof. I want quite bad to just throw in the money and get it all permitted but it would be probably $6k+ including illegal work fees... What are the downsides of not having the rental inspection?

 You're saying the inspector won't care about the bathroom? And the kitchenette is only a countertop and a sink

Hey all,

When I bought my townhouse in December 2019, I added a bathroom and kitchenette to the basement and stupidly did not pull permits for it. I know now that it was a big mistake, and have been kicking myself for it since. For what it's worth, in almost two years the bathroom hasn't had any issues. The contractor was licensed and came highly recommended, and I trust his work. 

I plan on leaving this house and finding a renter this May. My locality (Washington, DC) requires that I have my house inspected in order to rent it. Will the inspector flag me for an unpermitted bathroom? The illegal work fee will be $2000 or maybe $4000. Not to mention the cost of ripping out walls and likely the floor, since they had to drill through the concrete to get to the sewer line. Could I get away with finding a renter and not getting the proper approvals for the city? Or will that bite me in the *** too? How would you all proceed?