Sell A Long Island House With Open Permits And Missing COs For Cash. We Handle The Building Department Closeout After You Close.
Direct cash offers for Long Island houses with permits that were never finalized, certificates of occupancy that were never issued, and unpermitted work that nobody wants to legalize. Town of Hempstead, North Hempstead, Oyster Bay, and all Village jurisdictions handled post-closing on our side.
You went to sell the house and the title company flagged it. Open permit from 2008 that never got a final inspection. No CO on the finished basement. Dormer added with no paperwork on record. The retail buyer’s lender won’t fund it. The retail agent says the file has to be cured before listing. The seller is the inherited owner with decades of unrecorded work, the homeowner who just learned what their grandfather built in the basement, or the landlord whose unit conversion never got a CO. Prime Realty Buyers buys Long Island houses with open permits and missing COs direct for cash. The permit file becomes our problem at closing.
WE BUY:
- Sold completely as-is. Open permits, missing COs, unpermitted work, illegal accessory units all bought as-is.
- Zero repairs required. The work stays as it is. We handle closeout, legalization, or removal post-closing as needed.
- Zero commissions. No listing-side fee. No buyer-side credit.
- All-cash offers. No mortgage contingency, since retail lenders won’t fund houses with open permit files anyway.
- Close in 14 to 30 days. Permit file transfers to us at closing through your closing attorney.
- 24-hour written offer based on address review, jurisdiction lookup, and what you tell us about the work.
Get Your Cash Offer Today
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Trusted by Long Island homeowners with open permits and missing COs in Hempstead, Westbury, Hicksville, Mineola, Inwood, Uniondale, Elmont, Freeport, Baldwin, Long Beach, Levittown, and East Meadow.
Why Long Island Homeowners With Permit Problems Sell To Us
The retail real estate machinery requires clean paperwork. Open permits stop lenders. Missing certificates of occupancy stop title insurance. Unpermitted work stops appraisals. Most Long Island houses older than thirty years have something on the permit file that wasn’t closed out properly. We buy houses with open permits, missing COs, and unpermitted work direct for cash. The building department file transfers to us at closing.
Open permits and missing COs collapse the retail buyer pool.
Conventional mortgages, FHA, VA, USDA, and most portfolio products require a clean permit file and a current certificate of occupancy for habitable space. An open permit (work started, no final inspection) flags during title commitment review. A missing CO on a basement, addition, or accessory unit means the appraiser can’t count that square footage. The retail buyer’s lender pulls funding or demands the file be cured before closing. Cure can take three to twelve months depending on jurisdiction.
Town of Hempstead, North Hempstead, and Oyster Bay each have different building departments.
Nassau is divided into three Towns, each with its own building department, permit system, inspectors, and backlog. The Town of Hempstead covers the largest area including most of the South Shore. The Town of North Hempstead covers the North Shore and central Nassau. The Town of Oyster Bay covers the eastern third including Hicksville, Bethpage, and Plainview. Each Town processes permits at a different pace with different paperwork requirements. We work all three.
Villages sit inside Towns with their own permit jurisdictions on top.
Many Nassau properties fall under an incorporated Village within the Town, and the Village requires its own permits for work the Town already processed. Hempstead Village inside the Town of Hempstead. Garden City inside the Town of Hempstead. Mineola Village inside the Town of North Hempstead. Sea Cliff inside the Town of Oyster Bay. A single house can have an open Town permit file and a separate open Village permit file. Either side blocks a retail closing. We handle both jurisdictions in parallel post-closing.
Common Long Island unpermitted scenarios resolved on our side post-closing.
Basement apartments without COs. Attic conversions to bedrooms. Dormer additions on Capes and ranches. Detached garage conversions to accessory units. Decks built without permits. Fences over height limits. Garage-to-living-space conversions. Two-family conversions that never got legalized. We buy these as-is. Post-closing we handle the resolution: legalize through retroactive permitting where possible, remove unpermitted work where required, or take the property forward as a teardown if the work is unsalvageable.
Other reasons Long Island homeowners with permit problems sell to us:
- Expediter fees you would otherwise pay for retroactive permitting absorbed by us
- Building department appearance time for compliance scheduling handled on our side
- Engineer and architect drawing requirements for legalization paid by us, not by you
- Demolition or removal of unpermitted work coordinated through our contractors
You hand us the address. We close the permit file along with the deal.
We Buy Long Island Houses With Permit And CO Issues As-Is
Every flavor of building department paperwork problem shows up regularly on Long Island older inventory. We buy the file along with the house.
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Houses with permits issued ten to forty years ago and never closed out with a final inspection
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Houses with basement finishing, kitchens, baths, or bedrooms added without permits or COs
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Houses with dormer additions on Capes, ranches, and split-levels that were never legalized
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Houses with garage conversions to living space without permits or required egress
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Houses with detached garages converted to accessory dwelling units without paperwork
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Houses with decks built without permits, often violating Town setback or rail-height code
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Houses with single-family configurations operating as two-family or three-family without legal conversion
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Houses with mother-in-law setups, secondary kitchens, or rentable basement units lacking COs
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Houses with electrical, plumbing, or HVAC work performed by unlicensed workers without inspections
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Houses with fences, sheds, driveways, or pools installed without required permits
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Houses where prior owners did renovations and the current owner inherited the paperwork problems
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Houses with permits showing on the file under an old owner’s name from before the current owner bought
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Houses with denied permit applications that were never withdrawn from the file
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Houses with expired permits where the work was completed but the final inspection never happened
We buy the house. The Town file, the Village file, and the unpermitted work all become our problem.
Why Choose Prime Realty Buyers
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Local Long Island buyer with extensive building department experience across Town of Hempstead, North Hempstead, and Oyster Bay
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Direct cash purchase with our own funds. No financing contingency that open permits will torpedo.
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Permit-file specific experience: open permits, missing COs, unpermitted conversions, retroactive legalization, removal of unpermitted work
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Expediter and architect coordination handled post-closing through our own network of Nassau-specialized professionals
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Village permit jurisdictions worked in parallel with Town permits across all relevant Nassau incorporated villages
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Building department appearance time and retroactive inspection scheduling handled on our side
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Written offer within 24 hours of address review, including permit file lookup before the offer goes out
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Every Long Island scenario: one open permit, multiple open permits, missing CO on basement / attic / addition, illegal two-family, accessory unit without paperwork
Specific Permit And CO Situations We Buy In
Inherited house with permits open from the 1990s that were never closed by the prior owner
House with a finished basement added decades ago that never had a CO issued
Cape Cod or ranch with a 1980s dormer that was never permitted and never legalized
Single-family operating as a two-family with the second unit having no CO
House with a detached garage converted to a rental unit without any paperwork
House where the deck was built by the previous owner without a permit and the seller discovered it during title search
House with multiple stacked permit issues: open Town permit, missing Village CO, unpermitted addition
House where retroactive permitting was attempted and denied, with the work still in place
House where the building department issued a demand for legalization or removal that the seller never responded to
House where a denied permit application sits on the file and was never withdrawn
Nassau Areas We Buy In
We buy houses with open permits and missing COs across Nassau County, including Hempstead, Westbury, Hicksville, Mineola, Inwood, Uniondale, Elmont, Freeport, Baldwin, Long Beach, Levittown, and East Meadow. We also buy in every other Nassau village and incorporated town across the county.
Real Seller Stories
“I bought the Cape Cod in Hicksville in 1992. Previous owner had added a dormer in the early eighties, no permits. I knew about it when I bought, but figured it would never matter. Thirty-one years later I went to sell and the title company flagged the dormer. The Town of Oyster Bay said retroactive permitting would require an engineer, an architect, and probably forty thousand in work plus fees. Prime Realty Buyers offered to buy with the dormer as-is. They handled the permit closeout after closing. I walked away with the cash and never had to call an engineer.”
Sven, Hicksville
“My father finished the basement himself in 1979. Two bedrooms, a kitchenette, a full bath. No permits, no inspections, no CO. He used the space for my grandparents who came over from Ecuador to live with us. After my parents passed, I inherited the house in 2023. The title company kicked it back saying the basement square footage couldn’t be sold as livable. Prime Realty Buyers walked through, didn’t blink at the basement, and bought the house with the unpermitted work included. The Town file became their problem. Closed in twenty-five days. The cash hit the estate.”
Marina, Hempstead
“I owned a single-family in Westbury for nineteen years. Sometime in 2011 I converted the upstairs to a separate apartment. Different kitchen, locked stairway, separate entrance. The Town would have wanted me to file as two-family with all the permits and inspections that come with it. I never did. When my daughter moved back home in 2023 I tried to sell and the legalization quote was eighty thousand plus a year of waiting on the Town. Prime Realty Buyers bought it with the illegal two-family in place. They legalized it on their end after closing.”
Lorenzo, Westbury
“My uncle owned the house in Inwood and rented the basement out for sixteen years. No CO on the basement, no permits on the work he did when he originally finished it in the late nineties. After he passed, the basement tenant moved out and the family wanted to sell. The retail agent said we needed to remove the basement kitchen and bath before listing. That alone was forty thousand. Prime Realty Buyers bought the house with the basement just as it was, including the kitchen and the bath. They handled what the Town required after we closed.”
Yusef, Inwood
“My late husband converted the detached garage to a rec room in 1987. He did the work himself with a friend who was a carpenter. Insulation, drywall, a window, the works. No permits. After I decided to sell in 2024 the title company asked for a CO on the garage. The Town of Hempstead said I would need to either pull retroactive permits or remove the conversion. I was seventy-three and had no interest in either. Prime Realty Buyers bought the house with the garage conversion as it stood. They sorted it out after closing. Done in three weeks.”
Hattie, East Meadow
Sound Like Your Situation?
Get a written cash offer within 24 hours. We pull the permit file ourselves before sending the offer. The Town and Village both transfer to us at closing.
Our 3-Step Process
Contact us.
Call 516-218-0365 or submit the form. Tell us the address, the Town and Village jurisdictions, and what you know about open permits or unpermitted work. Five minutes.
Walkthrough and offer.
Exterior walkthrough at minimum, interior to assess unpermitted spaces if accessible. We pull the permit file ourselves through the Town’s online portal or in person if needed. Written cash offer within 24 hours.
Pick your closing date.
Fourteen to thirty days. Permit file transfers to us at closing through your closing attorney.
Prime Realty Buyers Vs Traditional Listing
| Factor | Prime Realty Buyers | Traditional Listing |
|---|---|---|
| Open permit closing | We close with the permit file open and handle closeout post-closing | Retail buyer’s lender refuses to fund until the permit is closed |
| Missing CO handling | Bought with no CO on basement, addition, or accessory unit | Appraiser cannot count unpermitted square footage, valuation suffers |
| Unpermitted conversion handling | Bought with illegal two-family, basement apartment, or garage conversion in place | Retail buyer demands legalization or removal before closing |
| Town jurisdictional handling | All three Nassau Towns (Hempstead, North Hempstead, Oyster Bay) worked post-closing | Listing agent rarely understands Town-specific permit processes |
| Village permit overlap | Town and Village files both handled in parallel | Seller stuck managing two building departments at once |
| Post-closing resolution | Legalization, retroactive permitting, removal, or teardown handled by us | Seller stuck with the cure timeline before any retail sale is possible |
| Repairs required | Zero | $40K to $200K typical for full permit-file cure |
| Commissions | Zero | 5% to 6% of sale price |
| Closing timeline | 14 to 30 days | Cure timeline alone runs 3 to 12 months before listing is possible |
| Inspections | None | Buyer’s inspector amplifies every paperwork concern |
| Appraisal contingency | None | Appraisers can’t count unpermitted square footage |
| Financing contingency | None | Conventional, FHA, VA, and most lenders won’t fund open-permit houses |
| Showings | One walkthrough | Multiple showings during a stalled cure process |
| Buyer credits | Zero | $10K to $40K standard for permit-file uncertainty |
| Listing prep cost | $0 | $25K to $80K to cure the permit file before listing |
FAQs
What’s the difference between an open permit and an unpermitted addition?
Open permit means a permit was issued and work started, but the final inspection never happened and the file was never closed out. Unpermitted means no permit was ever pulled in the first place. Both create paperwork problems for retail sale, but they’re handled slightly differently. We buy houses with either or both, in any combination.
Why can’t my retail buyer get a mortgage on my house with these issues?
Conventional mortgage lenders, FHA, VA, USDA, and most portfolio products require a clean building permit file and a current certificate of occupancy for habitable space. Open permits flag during title commitment review. Missing COs on basement, addition, or accessory unit prevent the appraiser from counting that square footage. The retail buyer’s lender either refuses to fund or demands cure before closing.
How long does retroactive permitting actually take?
On Long Island, anywhere from three to twelve months depending on Town (Hempstead, North Hempstead, Oyster Bay), Village (if applicable), the complexity of the work, and whether engineering or architectural drawings are required. Hempstead Village can require its own separate process on top of the Town. Add another two to four months when there’s a Village layer.
The house is in the Town of Hempstead but also Hempstead Village. Do I need permits from both?
Often yes. The Village can require its own permits for work the Town already processed (or the reverse). Each maintains an independent file. A house can have a clean Town permit history and still have an open Village permit issue, or the opposite. We handle both jurisdictions in parallel post-closing.
What if the previous owner did the work and I just discovered the missing CO?
This is one of the most common situations on our deals. Many Long Island sellers inherit the paperwork problems from previous owners. The title search reveals the issue and the deal can’t move forward through retail. We buy with the inherited paperwork situation as-is and resolve it post-closing on our timeline.
¿Compran casas con permisos abiertos o trabajo sin permiso en Long Island?
Sí. Compramos casas en Long Island con permisos abiertos, certificados de ocupación faltantes, conversiones de sótano sin papeles, y adiciones sin permiso. No tiene que arreglar nada antes del cierre. Manejamos el departamento de construcción del pueblo y de la villa después que cerramos. Llame al 516-218-0365 y le explicamos el proceso completo en español.
Do you buy houses with illegal basement apartments?
Yes. Illegal basement apartments are one of the most common Long Island unpermitted situations, especially in Hempstead, Freeport, Inwood, Uniondale, and Hicksville. We buy with the basement apartment in place. Post-closing we either legalize through retroactive permitting where the layout allows, or remove the kitchen and bath to bring the basement back to legal habitable space without separate unit status.
What if the unpermitted work is something more recent, like a deck added in 2022?
Same answer. Whether the unpermitted work is from 1979 or 2022, we buy as-is. Newer unpermitted work is sometimes easier to legalize retroactively because the construction is closer to current code. Older unpermitted work sometimes requires more involved review. Either way, the resolution is on our side.
The Town denied my retroactive permit application. Can you still buy?
Yes. A denied retroactive permit application sitting on the file is a particularly difficult situation for retail sale because the denial documents the issue without resolving it. We buy with denied applications on file. We work through alternative resolution paths post-closing, including modifications to bring the work to code, partial removal, or reapplying with revised plans.
Are you an expediter or do you actually buy these houses?
We are a direct buyer. We close on the property with our own funds. We use expediters and architects post-closing for the legalization work, but you’re not paying for any of that. The contract is between you and Prime Realty Buyers, and the wire at closing comes from our account directly.
My open permit became a violation with fines. Which page applies to me?
This page handles paperwork problems before they escalate to active enforcement. If the building department has already issued formal citations with daily fines, a vacate order, or a condemnation placard, the situation has moved into active enforcement territory, and our violations and condemned house service page handles that scenario. Both paths buy with the issue in place. Call us either way and we’ll route you correctly.
Are there any fees, commissions, or closing costs I pay?
No. We pay customary closing costs including title insurance, recording fees, and transfer taxes. No realtor commission. No buyer credits. No inspection requests. The contract price minus any liens or mortgage payoffs is what hits your account at closing.
Get Your Cash Offer Today
The title company flagged the permit. The retail agent says it has to be cured. The Town quote came back at forty thousand. The Village wants their own permits on top. The engineer and the architect both want retainers before they look at it. One call, one cash offer, one closing, and the building department file becomes our problem.