Sell a house or condo with code violations.

Send what you have: the city notice, the case number, any inspection report, hearing notice, or order, and for a condo, every letter from the association or its management company. Any offer should be based on those documents, not a guess from the city name.

Deadlines and penalties depend on the violation and where the case stands. Ask your attorney or the city what the notice requires while the title company checks for recorded claims.

A city or village citation runs through the municipality, usually at an administrative hearing or in court. In Illinois, a fine from an administrative hearing that goes unpaid becomes a debt to the city, and if the city records it, it becomes a lien against the owner's property.

A condo or HOA violation runs through the association under its declaration and rules. Illinois condominium law makes unpaid charges, including unpaid fines, a lien on the unit. One problem, like an odor the neighbors complain about, can produce both a city citation and an association letter, and each one needs its own answer at closing.

When you sell a condo in Illinois, the board has to give you resale documents to share with the buyer. They include a statement of any liens and the unit's unpaid assessments and other charges, and the status of any lawsuits involving the association. Ask in writing. The board has 10 business days to deliver them and can charge a capped fee.

Read the association's closing or paid-assessment letter closely, too. Some say that unresolved violations and unpaid amounts carry over to the next owner. A buyer will price that in, so it's better to have the letter before the offer than to find out at the closing table.

You don't need to clean out, deodorize, or treat for pests before asking for an offer. The house or unit is reviewed as it stands. If pests have spread into a hallway or a neighbor's unit, share the board's letter, since the written agreement should say who pays for treatment and who gets the violation closed out.

Disclosure still applies. The Illinois seller disclosure report asks whether you've received a notice of violation that hasn't been corrected, and it asks specifically about termites and other wood-boring insects. Whether other pests or an odor count as a material defect depends on the facts, so ask your attorney what to disclose. Selling as-is doesn't replace the report.

A fine or lien may need to be paid, released, negotiated, held in escrow, or addressed another way. The agreement and settlement statement should show who is responsible for each city fine, association charge, and required repair, rather than assuming anything transfers to the buyer.

A demolition, unsafe-building, or no-occupancy order is an immediate legal deadline, and a sale may not stop it. Contact your attorney and the issuing municipality, then share the order so everyone can determine whether a closing is still possible.