We Buy Houses in Hialeah Gardens, Florida

Since April 15, 2024, the city has required every request for a lien search, code violation search, water and sewer debt search and open or expired permit search to go through Lien Library, Inc., an online platform. The flat fee is $325, paid online with the request. You create an account, enter the address, pay and follow the status on your dashboard. The report covers recorded liens, code violations, water and sewer debt, a detailed account ledger and any open or expired permits.

Water debt is on that list because Hialeah Gardens has its own Water and Sewer Department, which bought the system from the City of Hialeah in 1985 and has its offices at 13601 NW 107 Avenue. Code cases sit with the Code Compliance Office, next to City Hall in the Building and Zoning Department at 10001 NW 87 Avenue. It covers licenses, fire prevention, building, land use, minimum housing, contractor and sign codes.

When you sell to us, you don’t need to buy this report yourself. Our title company orders it when the contract is signed, and anything owed is settled from the closing, as the settlement statement shows.

The Building Department publishes what an owner with a pending violation can do. One option is to apply for a building permit with an as-built survey, two sets of working drawings for the work, and a letter certifying the work, signed and sealed by a registered architect or engineer. A retention swale for drainage may be required. The second is a demolition permit: remove what was built without a permit and call for the required inspections. The third is a variance, if the work encroaches on a required setback or goes over the permitted lot coverage. The city adds that a demolition permit on a zero-lot-line home must comply with Ordinances 93-14 and 95-17.

The permit paperwork has its own rules. The owner’s signature on the application must be notarized, and surveys must be certified and less than six months old. In a condo, townhouse or other development with a homeowners association, the city wants a letter from the association describing the approved work.

You don’t have to pick an option before selling. We read the violation notice and the permit record, price the house as it stands, and confirm with the title company what has to be dealt with at closing. This is general information; the Building Department, at (305) 558-4114 ext. 221, can confirm what applies to your address.

Miami-Dade County has had a building recertification program since 1975, under section 8-11 of the County Code. Most buildings built in 1993 or later are recertified at 30 years and every 10 years after that. Single-family homes, duplexes, and buildings with an occupant load of 10 or less and 2,000 square feet or less do not go through it, so this matters mainly to owners of condos and small apartment buildings. A Florida-registered engineer or architect prepares the reports, which are due within 90 days of the notice. The county’s upload portal is for unincorporated areas, so ask the city’s Building Department how a Hialeah Gardens building files.

State law adds a milestone inspection for condo and co-op buildings three or more habitable stories tall: by December 31 of the year the building turns 30, and every 10 years after that. The association must give each unit owner the inspector’s summary within 45 days of receiving the report.

On its own cases, the county warns that a missed recertification brings a citation, a $510 initial penalty, possible penalties of up to $10,000 per violation, and possibly a lien. If a building you are selling has one of these cases open, tell us. We read the notice and any reports, then price the property with those costs counted. This is general information; a Florida attorney or the Building Department can confirm what applies to your building.