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Trying to understand risks with unpermitted work

I'm looking at buying a home in Cherokee County GA and I'm confused about the permits situation.

The seller has added a deck and finished the basement. Inspector says the deck is a little bit off-code, but that the code might've changed since it was built. This made me worried that permits weren't pulled.

I asked my realtor to ask them (via their realtor) if they had pulled permits. The sellers replied that none were required. I also submitted a request for public info to the county for all permits associated with the property since it was built in 1988. The county responded that they only hold those records for 10 years. Additionally, their website states plainly that permits are required for building decks and finishing basements.

In what circumstances would the county become aware of the unpermitted work and require a new owner to pay for addressing it?

How is the county going to hold new owners accountable if they're only holding the records for 10 yrs?

Thanks!

submitted by /u/probard
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/jlbnbl/trying_to_understand_risks_with_unpermitted_work/

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