Here is a time line for events up to date:

August 2009: Offer was accepted, and House Inspection Report has findings including A/C and electrical conditions and others.

September 2009: Contract finalized. Seller agreed to repair four items including A/C & electrical conditions

October 2009: Glen Ridge Township rejected Seller's permits to repair A/C and electrical conditions because the applicants are unlicenced.

November 2009: Seller finlly filed permit to repair A/C, using non-standard permit form (we have no knowledge of the Form).
11.17.09 We sold our house and has a week Use and Occupancy. Packing, work with moving companies, discontinue utilties, notify child's school for change... Scheduled closing date 11.23.09.
11.18.09 Glen Ridge Building Department closed Seller's permit. Both Seller and GRBD told our attorney all inspections are completed and met GR requirements.
11.19.09 We found out that the permit only covers A/C repair, and we were mislead. Nothing is done on electricals.
11.20.09 Negotiate with Seller for breaching of contract, Seller refused to hornor the Contract. Contacted GRBD. Our attorney told us that time is running out on us, and Seller knows that it is very difficult and costy for us to store our belongs, rent a place, and drag our school age child along the whole process. Home Inspector and two electrians warned us that do not live in the house when the electrical conditions are not fixed.

You certainly seem to have had a bad experience. May I ask, how does the home inspection report (a contingency and part of most contracts) match up with what you have discovered now that you have closed? And, what does your attorney say about all this?
This year I had a house close at 11 AM and a water main leak from the street to the house developed at 12 noon. Contract was good, house closed, cost of repairing leak to the new buyer. Some things are not discoverable on inspection, and town inspectors follow town ordinances, usually for safety and health issues. Now that yours is closed, your attorney is the best path to recourse, especially if there was knowledge and fraud. Professional realtors everywhere hope that you can reach satisfaction.

I’d like to explain the process of Glen Ridge Building Department inspection, so that other buyers won’t suffer what we go through. A house in Glen Ridge can pass titles even with all kinds of unsafe and non-function conditions. The BD only comes in and conducts an inspection when a permit is filed, and after repair is done. Therefore, if Seller won’t agree with any repair, the house is good to go. Second, the standard permit form posted the BD website can be bypassed, and not used. Our Seller’s contractor used some form that vaguely check off some boxes. They checked boxes of water, plumbing, electrical, building and fire protection when they repaired central AC. GR BD came in and gave a “pass” on this permit after they inspected the AC repair. The unethical Seller used the permit of their chosen to tell Buyer that they passed ALL inspections of GR BD. They even got a staff from GR BD to call our attorney to assure that ALL is good. We quickly sold our house, then on the day before the closing day of buy Glen Ridge house, we find ourselves with a house that can be on fire at any moment due to faulty electrical conditions.

Unfortunately there is no consistency among towns and their C of O process. But when title passes at a sale, the last thing handed over is the C of O obtained by the seller for a fee, along with the keys. It is generally a way for a town to keep up on zoning and safety issues. Maybe not a problem is Glen Ridge, but in other towns the number of people or families in a building can be a health and safety concern as well as place a strain on town services and schools. Montclair, for example, has the fire department inspect and verify smoke, carbon monoxide detectors and a small fire extingusiher. All towns have the same requirement and many look at permits for building, electric, plumbing, pools, fences and more. Many people do their own work without a permit, and can create a hazard inadvertently. A common one, is reverse polarity in an electrical receptacle. I once saw an ungrounded timer switch within reach of the person in the jacuzzi. A licensed home inspector is not only priceless, but could save a life.

Be ware of Glen Ridge Certificate of Occupancy. It is just actually called Certificate of Zoning Compliance. The inspector walks around the house and here you go, the Certification! They do not go into the house to ensure that there are no code violations in electrical conditions, fire detectors, and … Also, be ware of the inspections conducted by GR Building Department. They only check the scope of the work when a permit is filed. For example, if you have a few violations, and only one permit is filed to fix one violation, the inspection covers only the satisfaction of one repair. The unethical Seller can use the result of the inspection to mislead Buyer that all violations are fixed, and in our case, they even got someone from BD to talk to our attorney to confirm that ALL inspections are satisfied. We end up have a house with rotten, leaking electrical box and wire, and half the house has no electricity on the closing day. The horror!

Most towns enforce the items mentioned plus, the inspector looks at the property record in the town office, for permits on covered work- electrical, plumbing, sometimes decks, pools, fences depending on the towns ordinances. Then when they go the property they will look for those work projects. Any missing permits for work done, they can request permits be taken out and closed before C of O issued. Not all towns have careful enforcement in this manner. But GR town hall will tell you what the process is. I notice this is an old question, sorry. Why is it coming up?

You definitely need to call the town hall (most likely the fire chief) and they will provide you with all the specific requirements for Glen Ridge. Some towns in that area only require smoke, fire detectors/fire extinguishers and carbon monoxide but some other towns also have other strict requirements as well. Also keep in mind how many days in advance of the closing date you schedule the CO because most towns in Essex and Passaic Counties are charging fees as high as $200 to the seller for the CO if not requested 20 days prior to closing.

Gina Chirico
PNJP
(973) 228-1000 ext 132
GinaChirico@PruNewJersey.com

You need to call the town hall in these towns and speak to the building inspector's department. They can give you all the specific requirements. The regulations will cover smoke and fire detectors,fire extinguishers, and carbon monoxide detectors, as well as any other requirements the individual towns have.

Sharon Kozinn