Yes, the property was unoccupied for several years. But during that time a lot of repairs were made. I was unaware that there was any law requiring a house must be lived in to prevent condemnation. This is a rural community and it's not uncommon to see acreages that no one lives on. I'd never heard of any of them having forced demolition. Construction permits are not required in that town.
We had explained to the council that the reason for the lengthy build time was Teresa's lack of funding, but improvements had been made whenever cash was available. It was further explained to them that we were currently planning to finish the renovation with funds I was loaning to Teresa (it's her house).