What to investigate before you buy a property to renovate or build
Zoning, structure, neighboring buildings, violations and approvals — the questions to answer before you buy a property to renovate or build on.
Where this applies Anywhere we work. The timelines, violation records and historic review described here are Philadelphia’s; suburban townships and New Jersey towns have their own versions of each.
Before you buy, check whether the property can support the changes you have in mind. Zoning, structural conditions and approval requirements can all affect the scope, cost and timing of the work.
1. What does the zoning allow?
The zoning district sets the use, the number of units, height, rear yard and open area. If your plan needs more than the district allows by right — another floor, more units, a new use — it needs zoning relief. In Philadelphia that is often four to five months from filing to the hearing, in our experience, and approval is never automatic. Understand that uncertainty before basing your purchase decision on the proposed development.
2. What can the structure carry?
Adding a floor or a roof deck depends on what the existing walls, joists and foundation can take. A structural engineer answers that; we can tell you when the question matters enough to ask before closing.
3. What would the work do next door?
On attached and closely spaced buildings, digging down, underpinning or demolition can bring extra requirements — notice to the neighbors, and sometimes a survey of the neighboring building before work starts. Budget time for it.
4. Are there open violations?
Open L&I violations are usually dealt with before new work is permitted, and some come with deadlines. An unsafe or imminently dangerous building may need make-safe drawings and a permit quickly. Ask the seller for the case numbers.
5. Is anything historic, or in the right-of-way?
A historically designated building, or one in a historic district, needs Historical Commission approval before a permit application. Curb cuts, driveways and front steps go through the Streets Department.
6. What records exist?
Old drawings, surveys and past permits save time. The deed matters too: the owner’s name on a permit application has to match it exactly.
What we can do before you buy
We can help you identify the questions worth investigating before purchase and determine whether a feasibility study or specialist review is needed. The level of investigation depends on the property and what you intend to do.
General guidance, not a determination about a specific property. Recorded facts — zoning district, permits, violations — come from the City; conclusions about what your project can do need professional review.
