You can probably create a separate bank account, put your rent in there on a monthly basis, and if/when they ask for rent, you have the good-faith evidence, and be legally protected. IANAL.
So, in the same area I mentioned in my previous post, there have been several arson incidents.
All that remains is the shell of the structure, and the property owner cannot be contacted (some other state/country), the municipality cannot pay for the removal and dumping of the debris, and the EPA considers the property an unauthorized dump/landfill.
Particularly in areas with basements, the basements collect the debris and all the rain and snow, and become, as you say, an "active harm".
Places like Florida and West Virginia are more "big-money" oriented.