What to tell a homeowner while you wait for a permit response

Start with the last confirmed event

Identify the permit you are discussing and the latest event you can support. Say when the application was submitted, when a request was received or when the team last checked the record. Keep the event date separate from the date of your message. If several permits are involved, avoid describing the entire project as approved because one record has progressed.

“No new response received” and “Current status not yet checked” describe different situations. Use the second when nobody has verified the latest information. Neither statement means approval or refusal. If a portal is unavailable or two records disagree, describe what could not be confirmed and assign the follow-up internally. Do not fill the gap with an optimistic interpretation of an old screenshot.

Hypothetical example: the homeowner asks about Monday

Imagine a small renovation contractor whose homeowner is planning around the next stage of work. The coordinator can find the application submission record, but has not confirmed a later authority decision. The homeowner asks whether Monday is definite. This is an invented scenario, not a customer story or a finding about a particular property. The contractor needs to explain the uncertainty without making a construction or approval decision from the calendar.

A possible reply is: “We have recorded the building-permit application submission. We do not have a confirmed decision, so we cannot confirm Monday’s start from that record. Our coordinator will check for an update and contact you on Thursday, even if there is no change. We are not asking you for anything today.” The final sentence belongs only in a case where it is true; check for outstanding homeowner information before using it.

Explain the status without upgrading it

Calgary’s residential ePermit FAQ identifies “pre-screen” and “project review” as statuses indicating submission to the City. Its status descriptions distinguish document screening and review from “approved for construction”, which indicates that the permit has been issued. Those labels have different meanings. Use the actual recorded status and its context; a submission record alone does not establish issuance. This example is specific to that portal and does not decide whether work may begin.

City of Calgary: residential ePermit submission and status descriptions

Promise an update your company controls

In the hypothetical reply, Thursday is a company communication commitment, not a municipal deadline or a prediction of approval. Choose a date your team can meet and name the responsible colleague in the internal record. The promise is to check and report accurately. Do not turn an estimated review period, an unanswered message or a tentative crew booking into an expected decision date.

An unchanged result can still be a useful update: explain that the record was checked, what remains outstanding and when the next check is planned. If new information arrives earlier, update the homeowner when appropriate. If your company misses its promised check, acknowledge that and give a revised commitment. Keep the earlier message so everyone can understand how the plan changed.

Choose what the homeowner needs to know

Explain the practical blocker and any action the homeowner actually needs to take. If you need a document, identify it clearly and use your established authorized delivery route. Keep internal notes, staff information, unrelated attachments and access credentials out of the update. A workspace screenshot or an entire forwarded email chain can reveal more than the short explanation requires.

Review the information you are about to share from the recipient’s perspective. Does it identify the right permit? Is its date current? Could “complete” be mistaken for an authority decision when it only refers to your team’s document preparation? Keep uncertainty visible in plain language. When a previous update was inaccurate, send a clear correction and preserve the original message rather than silently changing the history.

A six-step company update checklist

Use this checklist before sending a permit update. These are company communication practices, not municipal requirements or instructions that authorize construction.

1. Identify the permit. Name the application or permit being discussed without implying that every permit for the project has the same status.
2. Confirm the event. Check the latest available record and retain its event date, source and the date you checked it.
3. State the gap. Explain missing information, conflicting records or the unresolved blocker without calling uncertainty approval or refusal.
4. Explain the next action. Say what your company will do and identify any genuine homeowner action; keep internal responsibility recorded.
5. Set the next update. Label the date as your company’s communication commitment, separate from any sourced authority deadline.
6. Review before sharing. Check accuracy, the intended recipient and the information included; keep a copy of the message and later corrections.

Keep the update connected to the record

PermitLane organizes responsibilities, evidence and recorded permit events, helping your team find the information behind an update. The communication practices here do not imply automatic homeowner messages. Its AI determines permit applicability from the selected playbook and recorded official-source revisions; an authorized person can override that determination. This is separate from a municipal decision. Submission and review remain external, and PermitLane does not guarantee approval.