Buying a house gives you the keys, the mortgage, the yard, and all the mysterious stuff lurking behind the garage. It does not necessarily give you legal permission to keep every structure, feature, or property use exactly as you found it. Local governments can enforce zoning, building, safety, and land-use rules even when a previous owner installed something years ago.
That makes an especially annoying homeownership reality: something can look perfectly normal, work perfectly well, and still violate a local rule. The previous owner may have built the shed without a permit, converted the garage without approval, or installed a fence several feet over the property line. Before assuming the house came with a clean legal slate, check these seven potential trouble spots.
