Living in Illinois, you may be starting to think about how to expand your portfolio or increase your income. One of the options could be to build an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU. If you’re buying a home, you may look for one that has a structure that could be used as an ADU on the property.
ADUs are often allowed in communities around Illinois, but you do need to make sure that you have the proper permits. If you don’t have those permits or if the ADU was built without them previously, you may not be able to use it until the right permits are obtained. In a worst-case scenario, and ADU may not be able to be used at all.
What can you do if you want to add an accessory dwelling unit to a property?
First, make sure that the property is allowed to have an ADU. Almost all ADUs have requirements for the space necessary between them and other properties.
Even if a seller tells you that one is allowed, you need to make sure that’s true. If not, you could end up with a property that can’t be used the way you wanted to use it.
What can you do if you purchased a property with an ADU that has to be removed?
In some cases, people have purchased accessory units and then found out that they aren’t legal. If you have to rebuild or seek permits, you may be able to look into making a legal claim against the seller, especially if they did not disclose that the ADU was built without permits.
Do your research before adding
Accessory dwelling units can be helpful, but you have to do your research. If you aren’t cautious about the property you purchase or don’t get the right permits, you could run into legal trouble.
If you have a problem with a real estate purchase or ADU on your property, it could be helpful to talk to your attorney about options for seeking compensation to make repairs or protect the ADU and get the permits needed to use it.
