It's really impressive how they set it up, however, I'm not having fun with insulation and tearing down wood framing. If I didn't have to be careful, this would be fun with sledgehammers. But because I have to maintain the integrity of the structure, it's really a pain in the ass.
Are the materials of any value to you? If not, it's not your problem. It sounds like it was built in pretty well. In cases like this, it becomes part of the structure and it's the owners responsibility. I just talked to someone who brought up a similar issue. Here is the Q&A.
Hi Travis,
I won an auction yesterday that a contractor worked out of. Well, he had built an office in one of the back corners while renting. I asked the owner if I could take all the material, since it belonged to the tenant and his other units obviously didn’t have offices in them. He said no, because his next tenant in line wants the office space.
Here’s the question: Do I have a legal right to that, or does it belong to the facility now because it is built in and attached? Hopefully I will receive a reply from you before I finish cleaning it out tomorrow morning. Your help would be much appreciated!
By the way, I’m sure enjoying the website! Take care…
Bennie
My response:
Bennie,
I have a background in real estate law and the method of attachment in situations like this is very important. If it looks like it was built to be permanent, it’s part of the improvement and it’s legally his. If it’s portable or not permanently affixed, it could be considered personal property. He probably should have mentioned that it wasn’t included before the sale but if you took him to court it would be an uphill battle.
Hope this helps.
Travis