Buying House with Cellar Apartment Violations

I am in process of buying 2 family house in Queens. Previous owner has been illegally living in the basement for at many years. They had a violation in 1999, that was all cleared up, except for the final inspection. It appears on the web that this issue was resolved and all the fines paid. Except that is still “open”. Currently there is a 3 fixture bathroom with standing shower. Kitchen area with sink, cabinets, fridge, but no stove. And one walled room that is used as a bedroom. The room is in the corner and the walls do no contain any of the building supports. Its sort of a makeshift stand alone situation.  We are planning on clearing out the kitchen cabinets, fridge, replacing sink with laundry/utility sink, and getting rid of the “bedroom” walls. But we would like to leave the bathroom.  Does anyone have experience with this type of situation? Are we going to need permits for any of this, and how hard is it going to be to close this violation?

bwalton

in Dept. of Buildings (DOB) 12 years ago

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dazednconfused2 | 12 years ago

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You definitely need permits for this kind of work.  From what you say, it seems like the the violations have been resolved and paid for, and all that’s left is filing certificates of correction to clear them and move on with the project.  You need to file the proposed renovations with the DOB in Queens.  When the plans are approved, you fill out a certificate of correction (or your architect or expediter does), attach a copy of the plans showing that the violating circumstances shall be remedied by the renovation, and proof that the plans have been approved.  This certificate gets filed by the expediter, at the NYC DOB, and the violations are cleared.  Then the contractor can pull the permit and begin the work.