Open Permits: The Hidden Curveball That Can Stall Your Home Sale

Welcome to Market & Moments, where real estate broker Susan Kadilak shares market updates and lessons learned from more than two decades in the business.

Imagine this: You put your home on the market and it quickly goes under agreement. You start packing boxes with the closing just weeks away.

Then the call comes:

“The town says you have five open permits.”

Five.

My client was stunned. The work had been done nearly ten years earlier, including a major renovation that included structural updates and improvements throughout the home. Contractors were hired. Inspections were scheduled. Everything had been completed properly, or so they believed.

But when the buyer’s agent checked with the Town of Burlington, the system showed five permits were still “open.” No final sign-offs on file. No record of inspections being closed out.

You can imagine the stress.

Open permits are one of those unexpected curveballs sellers rarely see coming. A permit may have been pulled years ago for a kitchen renovation, finished basement, new roof, electrical panel upgrade, deck, HVAC system, or addition. The work gets done. Life moves on. But if the final inspection isn’t done, or if the inspector didn’t officially close out the file, that permit can sit open indefinitely.

And no one usually knows this has happened until the house goes under contract.

In another recent case, I had a client who had finished their attic and basement. When the buyer went to verify permits with the town, they were told that permits were never pulled! Thankfully, my client had kept copies of their signed permit cards. After some digging, we were able to confirm the inspections had in fact taken place but the records were accidentally assigned to the wrong property in the town’s database. Without that paperwork, those permits could have caused a major delay.

Not every situation is that straightforward.

Sometimes there truly are no records of final inspections. When that happens, sellers are often required to call for new inspections. In some cases, that can mean opening up walls or ceilings so an inspector can verify work completed years ago. Depending on the project, that can add cost, time, and a great deal of anxiety right before closing.  

Here’s what surprises many homeowners: resolving open permits is typically the seller’s responsibility, and buyers almost always check with the building department once a home is under agreement.

The good news: This kind of situation is often preventable.

If you’ve completed any significant work on your home, whether it was five months ago or fifteen years ago, it’s wise to check with the Building Department to confirm that all permits show as closed. If you have copies of signed permits or inspection approvals, keep them in a safe place.

Most of the time, open permits aren’t about bad workmanship, they’re about paperwork. But when it’s discovered late in the process, it can turn an exciting milestone into an unexpected scramble.

Curious about whether or not your home has open permits? You can search your Burlington address here.