Does a buyer of a commercial property inherit any obligations to the seller's on-site employees?

Generally, buying a commercial property alone, meaning the real estate itself rather than the operating business, doesn't automatically make the buyer the employer of the seller's on-site staff, such as a building superintendent or maintenance worker. Employment relationships attach to the employer, usually the operating entity, not to the land, so a pure real estate purchase doesn't by itself transfer those employment relationships to the new owner.

This changes if the deal is really a business purchase rather than a real property purchase, or if the buyer specifically agrees to take on existing staff. Ontario's employment standards framework includes provisions that can treat certain business sales as preserving employees' length of service and continuity of employment with a successor employer, which is a different analysis than simply buying a building. A buyer who plans to keep the seller's on-site staff on should get specific advice on whether continuity rules apply and what that means for accrued entitlements like vacation pay or length of service.

Because the answer depends heavily on how the deal is actually structured, real estate only, versus a business purchase, versus a deliberate decision to hire existing staff, this is worth clarifying with a lawyer rather than assuming either outcome by default.