Well, here’s hoping no one says that over your aged remains at your funeral, Elizabeth. If this property had been maintained or owned by someone interested in preservation, it would be stunning.

And RWB is absolutely right. It is the buyer’s responsibility to investigate property occupancy, not the residents’ responsibility to scream “we are here!” as if they were putting on a production of “Horton Hears a Who”. The buyer then has the choice of continuing to honor the existing leases indefinitely, negotiate new terms, or serve legal notice of eviction for the end of the current lease if necessary. Mileage may vary in the above contingent on propety conditions, but Dilick didn’t seem too concerned about that until it was time to develop the property, at which point it suddenly became too dangerous to live in.

Why keep residents there? Insurance for an occupied commercial exposure is MUCH cheaper than a vacant one. Vacant buildings or sites have to be secured to prevent problems with the city and attractive nuisance lawsuits. Rent was coming in, even if it was minimal. All roads lead to the fact that it was financially advantageous to not change anything until time to do something else with the property.

If his plans were always to demolish the place, all he would have had to see was the place from the outside and not even have walked the grounds.
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Even if that was the case, it is incumbent on him to do due diligence. Specifically, anyone who buys commercial property has to honor leases. I am assuming that there were at least month-to-month leases for the tenants there–they weren’t squatting after all. He had to be aware that the utilities were still on there.

I’m just saying that while there may well have been shenanigans going on between Gohen and Dilick, for JPSivco’s proposition to be true, Dilick would have to have really dropped the ball due diligence-wise.

It’s like there is a lot of cars there to see.

Also, if he bought the place, but didn’t have any list of renters or wasn’t even receiving rent, then he could assumed it’s abandoned.

He could have though some were squatters?

It’s just a bunch of if’s to through out there.

That’s an angle that I haven’t heard yet. It certainly is plausible.