I don't know if I will receive a cash settlement or whether the insurer will want to organise for repair or replacement of items (painting as walls have been defaced, flooring which has been destroyed, missing toilet, boarded up window, destroyed fridge among other things). 

This is the simplest method, but it also means your tenants are more likely to abuse the utilities by leaving windows open with the heat or A/C running, leaving lights on, ignoring the toilet that constantly flushes on its own, etc.3.

Hello BPers,During demo, we removed a 2nd story toilet on a wooden subfloor ( 1980s home). 

I also don't own a vehicle, so having to drive to the other side of Chicago to plunge a toilet didn't appeal to me.

Just stuff you never imagined.....like all cabinets missing, toilets, bathtubs, water heaters, HVAC all missing....concrete in the sewer drains...and on and on.   

The least work possible is to remove the oven (so it's not a "kitchen") and remove the toilet (put a sanitary cover over the sewer hole, there now it's not a "bathroom"). 

@Sean Pan Thanks for the info I will have to check out meetup and that book. 

Sean Pan, will do.  

Thank you @Sean Pan !

@Sean Pan yes, please PM me info on the eviction attorney resources you have