Problem
Case Study
The Windmill Motel in Hope, BC is for sale and your client is thinking about purchasing it. The business consists of 38 motel units which were built in 1938, a restaurant, service station and vehicle repair shop. The Motel is identified by a large windmill lit by a neon sign and sits adjacent to the entrance to the motel, partly on municipal property. The business has been in the seller's family since it was built.
Employees of the Motel include 4 chamber maids, a daytime cook as well as an evening/weekend cook, and two part-time waitresses who work shifts. All employees except the 2 part-time waitresses belong to the Hotel workers Union. The front desk and bookkeeping are handled by the owner. The owner wishes to sell the Motel as he is now 85 years old and wishes to retire. The business is being sold 'as is', and includes all of the assets of the Motel business. These include the building of the service station, a tow truck, a hoist and various automotive tools. The restaurant's assets include food and food products, dishes, cutlery, tables and chairs, a coffee maker, a stove, large refrigerator and freezer, and kitchen utensils. The Motel itself consists of beds, bedding, washer and dryer, towels and miscellaneous cleaning equipment and materials. The neon sign on the windmill is rented from Neon Products under a rental agreement.
Task: You are asked to identify risks that buying and owning this business will entail, and to identify the legislation and bylaws (federal, provincial and municipal) which will impact the business and its assets, as well as the purpose of such legislation.