How to fix "Sims can only purchase unowned or unoccupied residential lots"

*still can't buy it

celinanananah​ From your description, it sounds like you are trying to do it the wrong way.  First, you can only buy an entire residential rental (RR) building, not individual apartments in one.  To do that, there is a panel on the far right of the sim panel what has the RR management functions.   It is the icon furthest to the right and looks like a cash register.  Use that to first buy a residential rental apartment building, then manage it as the landlord.  You can't buy and own the apartments in San Myshuno, Evergreen Harbor, Cuidad Enamorada or Ondarion.  You can only rent them.

Hope this helps.

By apartment, I do mean a residential rental. I did use the cash register button on the far right. When I click on the roof, it says, "Sims can only purchase unowned businesses or unoccupied residential lots."

celinanananah​  So, is that message coming up when your landlord sim is trying to buy the building?  So, just follow the links and pick a world where one is (you have to know where one is, then just click on it).  Finally, you get a checkmark button in the lower right.  After that, you get the control panel where you add tenants, etc.  You can also just move sims into the apartments instead of doing to through the landlord.   

One other thing I thought of is:  The building venue must be Residential Rental and the sim that will be the landlord must have enough cash to buy it.  So, based on that message you got, is the lot set to that venue and does your landlord sim have enough to buy the lot.?

Hope this helps.

Thanks for your replies! Yes, the venue is a Residential Rental, and my Sim has enough money to buy it. The family already owns their first residential rental, so this would be their second one.

I tried for another family to buy it, and I still get the same message.

celinanananah​  Did you download the lot?  RR lots that were uploaded while owned become unplayable when downloaded as the lot retains the previous ownership.  It cannot be fixed by the downloader.  It has to be fixed by the original creator and reuploaded.  RR lots for upload need to be unowned and have no tenants.  They are different from regular residential that way.

Hope this helps.  

I made the lot. I set it as a Residential Rental. Right after making it, I tried for my Sim to purchase it.

I noticed there's a green outline surrounding the lot I want to buy. What does that mean?

celinanananah​  A green outline only means that the household has enough funds to purchase it.  That applies throughout the game for any type of lot when you attempt to buy or move in.   Thanks for the pic.  That means that the issue is down to the lot.  So, since you built it and the game doesn't allow it to be purchased, that means you've missed a requirement or haven't properly defined the apartments.  That's about all it can be at this point.  So, you need to take the lot back into build and find and correct whatever is causing the issue.  Check to make sure that you have accessible routes to each apartment as well.

Idk, if this has any bearing on the issue, but when I buy an RR, I only travel with the one sim who is buying it, not the whole family.  You might try that before anything else to check if that might be what's causing the issue.  I don't think so but you never know with this game sometimes.

Just by chance, I I happened to buy a residential rental yesterday in my own game.  I didn't have any problems.  So, from that, I know there is nothing wrong with the game itself.  That's an indication that the problem lies in your save and/or the lot.

Hope this helps.