Buying in Miami-Dade
The addition nobody pulled a permit for
Enclosed patios, converted garages, added bedrooms, a back room that is not on the county record. South Florida has a lot of work that was done well and permitted never. It is not a cosmetic issue — it affects what the home appraises for, whether it can be insured, and in some cases whether it can legally stay.
Updated 2026-10-02
Why it matters more than it sounds
Appraisal. An appraiser generally values permitted, legal square footage. A beautifully finished addition that does not appear on the record may add nothing to the appraised value, which means your lender will not lend against it even though you are paying for it.
Insurance. Carriers write policies against the property as recorded. Unpermitted structural or electrical work can complicate a claim at exactly the moment you need it to be simple.
Enforcement. The county can require that unpermitted work be permitted retroactively or removed. That obligation does not disappear at closing — it follows the property, which means it becomes yours.
Resale. Whatever you decide to live with, your eventual buyer's lender and inspector will raise the same questions. The problem is deferred, not solved.
How to check, before you write the offer
Pull the Property Appraiser record and note the recorded bedroom and bathroom count, the living area, and the year built. Compare that to what you are being shown. A three-bedroom on the record that is now a four is the single most common tell.
Search Miami-Dade permit records for the address. You are looking for two things: work that exists in the house but not in the record, and permits that were opened and never closed.
An open permit is its own problem. Work was started with approval and never passed final inspection. Title companies and lenders frequently require it be closed before a sale completes, and closing it can mean exposing finished work to re-inspection.
If the listing describes square footage noticeably above the county's figure, ask directly which permit the difference sits under.
What resolving it actually involves
Retroactive permitting generally means engaging a contractor or engineer, submitting plans for work that already exists, and opening it up so an inspector can see what is behind the finishes. That last part is why it is expensive — the drywall comes off.
Cost and time vary enormously depending on what the work is and how it was done. Electrical and structural are the expensive ones. A permitted-looking enclosure that was framed properly is a different conversation from a bathroom added with no venting.
Sometimes the answer is that the work is fine and the paperwork is the only gap. Sometimes the work itself has to change. You cannot tell which from a photograph, which is the point of asking early.
How to handle it in the deal
Raise it before the offer, not during the inspection period. Discovering it late costs you leverage as well as time.
Options are usually: the seller resolves it before closing, a credit is negotiated with a realistic number attached, or you buy it knowing and price accordingly.
Get a contractor's estimate rather than guessing. A credit based on a guess is a number one side will regret.
Be particularly careful with converted garages. Beyond the permit question, some communities and associations have parking requirements that an enclosed garage violates independently.
Common questions
How do I check if work on a Miami-Dade home was permitted?
Compare the Property Appraiser's recorded bedroom, bathroom and living-area figures against what you are seeing, then search county permit records for the address. You are looking for work that exists but is not recorded, and for permits opened but never closed.
What is an open permit and why does it matter?
It means work was approved and begun but never passed final inspection. Lenders and title companies often require it be closed before a sale completes, and closing it can mean re-opening finished work so an inspector can see what is behind it.
Can I get a mortgage on a house with unpermitted additions?
Often yes, but the appraiser may not credit the unpermitted area, so the home can appraise below what you are paying. That gap is yours to cover in cash, which is why the question belongs before the offer rather than after.
Who is responsible after closing?
The obligation attaches to the property, so it becomes the new owner's problem. That is why it is worth resolving in the contract rather than assuming it disappears at the closing table.
Want the permit history pulled before you offer?
Send me the address. I will pull the county record and the permit history and tell you whether what you are being shown matches what is on file — before you are emotionally committed to the house.
Related
General information, not legal advice. Permit requirements and enforcement are handled by the relevant municipality or by Miami-Dade County; confirm the position for any specific property with the applicable building department.