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Last year my husband and I bought a house that still has an open permit on it for work that was begun in 2003. At closing we signed a contract with the seller stating that they would finish the work and complete the inspections in order to obtain the sign-off within 3 months. Some funds were put into escrow to ensure that they did this. Unfortunately, a year plus later they have not and so according to the contract the escrow money should now be released to us so that we can complete the work. The seller has agreed to handover the escrow money, but on the condition that we release them from any liability relating to the C of O or the legal usage of the property. The house was built circa 1899 and so (to the best of my knowledge)does not have a C of O, but is noted as a 2 family dwelling in the finance records on the DOB site. Does this raise any alarm bells to anyone? On one hand, we want the issue resolved with the permit so that we can move forward and will have no problems selling in the futre. But on the other hand I’m worried that trouble is lurking around the corner with this C of O thing. Can anyone offer any advice on how to best proceed? Should I go to the DOB to ask them if there is any problem with the legal usage of the building before deciding to take their offer?