Closing on a House with CofO

My was just accepted on a three family house without a CofO.  The seller does not want to get it.  This house was built before there were CofOs.  Would that be a problem for me down the line?  Should I insist on seller providing it for it. What’s the risk of buying a house without one? Thank you.

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in Dept. of Buildings (DOB) 13 years and 4 months ago

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bricklayer | 13 years and 3 months ago

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We purchased a house without a C of O and then needed to do renovation work just a few months ago.  At first we explored getting the C of O to make the Alteration paperwork go through easier…  but getting a C of O for a multi-family (even a 2-family) requires that you sprinkler the entire building as per the new 2008 fire code.  We said “forget it!”… it’s absurd to think that getting paperwork in order suddenly means I need a big bulbous sprinkler system in my 1800s-era parlor.

Instead, we dug around and found a 1930s i-card from the Department of Housing website that proved our home had already been in use as a 2-family.  The DOB accepted it… we didn’t need a C of O and our alterations were approved.  

So bottom line, if you can document that your place was used as a multifamily before DOB began keeping records, you might be able to stay grandfathered in.

CRussen | 13 years and 4 months ago

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I know I’m chiming in late here, but our closing was delayed over a month because of this “no c-of-o” issue. The problem was that neither the mortgage company nor the inspector were from New York City (one from NJ and one from LI) and didn’t understand about old houses in Brooklyn.  Everyone got up in arms about it and it was quite a mess that I had to have my lawyer straighten out.

Crownlfc | 13 years and 4 months ago

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No seller of a properly grandfathered house, in their right mind, will go out and get a CofO to close a sale. You should focus on if the house is used and layed out in accordance with it its status with the Dept. of Bldgs and Finance Dept (sometimes different.) Check under the City’s website or propertyshark and consult your lawyer/mortgage banker.

Bklnite | 13 years and 4 months ago

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Very common for houses not to have a CofO. If there’s no CofO, another way to look up the existing legal layout is to check the HPD website and look up registration info to see # of units and look at the icard if there is one. http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/home/home.shtml

daveinbedstuy | 13 years and 4 months ago

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This should not be an issue with your mortgage company.  You should have a lawyer and he should explain this to you.  The troubles begen when there IS a C of O and the house doesn’t match the C of O as far as number of units as indicated by kitchens typically.