california real-estate construction-law
Meaning of word &quot;remodeled&quot; in California seller disclosure?
<p>On California C.A.R. TDS forms sellers have to disclose any unpermitted work properly so that buyers would not later sue seller for misrepresenting property.</p>
<p>On disclosures I have seen words &quot;[re]built&quot;, &quot;remodeled&quot;, &quot;converted&quot; being used to disclose unpermitted work. What are main differences between these words in common law?</p>
<p>Can seller state &quot;bedroom was remodeled without permits&quot; to imply that what is actually garage on building blueprints is now being called bedroom? Or would seller have to use verb &quot;rebuilt without permits&quot; or &quot;converted without permits&quot; in a such disclosure to imply that non-living space is being used as living space?</p>

<p>The words words &quot;[re]built&quot;, &quot;remodeled&quot;, and &quot;converted&quot; are not terms of art at common law. They would be interpreted on a case by case basis under the circumstances, typically in a lawsuit for a fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, or breach of a contractual covenant, with an eye towards where the use of a particular word in a particular context was, or was not, misleading.</p>
<p>Also &quot;converted&quot; is a term with a technical legal meaning but not in the sense that you are using the word (the technical term of art legal meaning is to take or obtain property of another in a tortious, i.e. wrongful, manner for which there is a civil damages remedy).</p>
<p>Often a court would refer to an ordinary, non-legal, dictionary to aid it in evaluating the meaning of these terms.</p>
