Documents? Who needs documents?

Q. Our house was damaged by a fire over 10 years ago, renovated and finished. We are now refinancing, and discovered we have no “closed” permits for the work. Our bank says that they can’t continue processing until plumbing, electrical and building permits are finalized and we give the bank a copy of our certificate of occupancy. We aren’t sure why this happened, and we can’t reach the contractor or the plumber. We got a certificate that our electric was inspected. Can you explain what to do, how this happened and how long this could take? The bank is pushing us to get this done.

A. Speed and control of the project are the reason this happened. People doing construction need to get in, get out and get paid, and often there is little attention to documentation. Construction, with permits, has many steps that can be ignored. It’s rewarding to work with people in construction who respect the process.
Even with your emergency repair, the whole job, from planning to final paperwork, had to be done completely. The concern about time, and how quickly plans can be made and a permit received, sets the tone for the rest of the work. In his “Poor Richard’s Almanac,” Benjamin Franklin phrased it well: “Haste makes waste.” Rushing through planning can lead to delays if the plans are incomplete.
At each step, it seems, speed is of utmost importance. Banks, lawyers, insurance companies, contractors, real estate salespeople and building officials all have an interest, at some point, in moving you through the process of pushing for plans to be finished, a permit to be obtained and the construction work commenced. But plans and permits aren’t done by pushing a button on a computer. By diminishing this part of the process and only concentrating on getting the work done, other important parts are also ignored.
The back end of the job is making sure that each step of the work was inspected, and passes inspections. Covering up work before it is inspected is very common and done with purpose, often to avoid losing time, covering up inferior work or because the customer isn’t as important as their wallet.

You needed a full outline, a checklist, to follow through. The checklist would have shown you needed a final electrical inspection, for which you received a written certificate; a final plumbing inspection, which your plumber was required to arrange; and a final building inspection, which your contractor should have arranged. After the final inspection, you would have then received the final document you needed.
You’ll need to call your building department and confirm what inspections are needed. If you can’t find the plumber, you’ll need to either request the final plumbing inspection or spend the money to have another plumber follow through with starting the paperwork over again. Once these have been done, you’ll request the final building inspection walk-through, and hopefully thereafter receive the final certificate of completion. Good luck!

© 2025 Monte Leeper. Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.