U&Os don’t transfer to new owners looking to sell

Use and occupancy certificates don’t transfer to new owners who are looking to sell a recently acquired property.

For example, if an investor purchases a home, does quick renovations and puts the house back onto the market to “flip” it, they would have to go through the same use and occupancy (U&O) process as the previous owner, even if only a few weeks or months had elapsed since that permit was issued.

Some aspects of the previous approval might possibly carry over (e.g. the sewer lateral inspection might be recent enough that the municipality still considers it valid), but the overall U&O application would need to start fresh.

It's important to keep in mind that municipalities vary in how they impose, enforce and interpret use and occupancy regulations.

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