By Anessa V. Cohen
Here we are in January 2016; you would think that Superstorm Sandy of October 2012 would be ancient history and not worth talking about anymore. Well, I am sorry to say that there are always new and irritating developments, even three years later, to remind us that its aftereffects still linger.
I cannot begin to tell you how many people still approach me to tell me of repairs left unfinished. Pending lawsuits against FEMA have left many homeowners high and dry and waiting in vain for monies that should have been paid to them by the Flood Insurance Agency more than three years ago.
Then there are those still fighting with New York Rising. These homeowners cannot seem to get the funds they thought were going to be given them for repairs to get their homes back in shape, or for monies supposedly offered to those who wanted their homes raised to a higher level.
The maddening frustration of dealing with the bureaucracy of New York Rising would be more expected in a country like the former Soviet Union as opposed to the United States of America. Between the constant changing of staff, unanswered phones, and the office relocations, loads of people have been dropped in midair without any parachute to break their fall.
Some have been so frustrated with both FEMA and New York Rising that they have just given up in sheer disgust. They either walked away from their homes or found other sources of sufficient funds to get their homes back into a somewhat livable condition, even if many repairs are still necessary.
There is nothing I can do to help any of these people except to be sympathetic and hope that at some point the funds to finish up whatever is still needed to make their homes comfortable will come through.
But there is one thing I can suggest to those who have had any work done on their homes because of Superstorm Sandy or any other storm or catastrophe. When you are taking care of these repairs or replacing nonworking or broken items in your home, please take the time to make sure that everything you do is in compliance with the local building department regulations and codes in your area.
In their desire to get things back to normal quickly, too many homeowners are not taking the time to file the necessary paperwork with the building department. For instance, building department regulations dictate that when you change a boiler or hot-water heater, or any of the plumbing, including baseboard or radiators, a building permit must be obtained by the licensed plumber you hired to install the new equipment. Subsequent to the installation, the plumber must arrange an inspection by a plumbing inspector from the building department, after which a certificate of completion needs to be issued stating that the installation has been inspected and is certified to be up to code by the building department.
For those who had to do extensive repairs for more than 50% of their homes, this same rule applies. You must apply for a building permit to repair damage equaling more than 50% of an area of your home. Electrical work must also follow this same rule, with a licensed electrician filing for the building permit the same way.
Many of the homes that were damaged during Superstorm Sandy were flagged as homes with damages; if you need to sell one of these “flagged” houses, and the correct building permits and certificates of completion were not obtained for the work done, you will find that fixing this problem quickly will be stressful as well as expensive.
If you fall into any of the above categories, take the time to go down to the building department to correct or file whatever paperwork is necessary so that everything will be in the right place when you need it.
Anessa Cohen lives in Cedarhurst and is a licensed real-estate broker and a licensed N.Y.S. mortgage broker with over 20 years of experience, offering full-service residential and commercial real-estate services (Anessa V Cohen Realty) and mortgaging services (FM Home Loans) in the Five Towns and throughout the tri-state area. She can be reached at 516-569-5007 or via her website, www.AVCrealty.com. Readers are encouraged to send questions or comments to anessa@AVCrealty.com.