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Mikeh13

Junior Member
What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Massachusetts..10 years ago I bought a 3 unit apartment house in Mass. Included on the property is an outbuilding/Garage that was converted by the previous owner into an additional apt. My ins. agent suggested buying two prem. liability policies covering each building separately, which I did and continue to do. Late 04 I go to the Assesors office to pull property card as assesments have gone up..to my dismay I determine that previous owner did all his conversion work without a permit. The town has never said anything, nor has my bank or the ins. co. My concern is as follows: if this property is truly illegal/non-permitted, which I believe it is, won't my ins. co. deny any claims for this reason(in the event of any loss)? I believe this would be a illegal non-conforming use; this concerns me. I have not told anyone about my discovery but part of me wants to at least tell my agent. I have never had a claim and the conversion was done nicely. I have great tenants and would like to keep the property for many years. I just don't want to do anything illegal. Am I being paranoid? My agent had me purchase supplementary "ordinance coverage" some time ago, but I'm not sure this addresses the non-permitted nature of the property. Thanks for any advice or opnions. :confused:
 


HomeGuru

Senior Member
Mikeh13 said:
What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Massachusetts..10 years ago I bought a 3 unit apartment house in Mass. Included on the property is an outbuilding/Garage that was converted by the previous owner into an additional apt. My ins. agent suggested buying two prem. liability policies covering each building separately, which I did and continue to do. Late 04 I go to the Assesors office to pull property card as assesments have gone up..to my dismay I determine that previous owner did all his conversion work without a permit. The town has never said anything, nor has my bank or the ins. co. My concern is as follows: if this property is truly illegal/non-permitted, which I believe it is, won't my ins. co. deny any claims for this reason(in the event of any loss)?

**A: no, not in all cases. The insurance company may cover in the event of loss, and in that case all you have is a check. You would not be able to rebuild until a building permit is obtained. And if no permit can be obtained due to the non conformance with the current building and zoning codes, you would be one structure short. Read the exclusions in your insurance policy.
*******
I believe this would be a illegal non-conforming use; this concerns me. I have not told anyone about my discovery but part of me wants to at least tell my agent. I have never had a claim and the conversion was done nicely. I have great tenants and would like to keep the property for many years. I just don't want to do anything illegal. Am I being paranoid? My agent had me purchase supplementary "ordinance coverage" some time ago, but I'm not sure this addresses the non-permitted nature of the property. Thanks for any advice or opnions. :confused:
**A: you have a right to be concerned.
 

Mikeh13

Junior Member
Thanks for Response

Believe it or not, my real fear is an injury claim; I almost own the property outright and could live with the loss of building if it came to that; my concern is any injury claim would be denied.
 

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