House Fire Damage
Over a month ago, there was a house that caught fire which extended to my rental property. It only effected the siding of the house with some electrical damage. Also, the door got busted in by the fire dept. The house on fire apparently has been vacant for about 1 year, but has full insurance coverage. When I talked to the investigator on site, he suspected insurance fraud, although this is not conclusive. I gave him my information and immediately called my insurance company. My deductible is $5000, and after depreciation, my check would be next to nothing. Thing is, it's been over month, and haven't heard back. Had to fix the door immediately, however the tenants are not happy about the aesthesics of the house. It's still livable, just some electrical damage on that side of the house. I estimate the damage to be around $6,200. I looked up the owners on the tax assessor website, and googled them. They are a elderly couple in their 80s, one of which died in 2009. Don't how to get in touch with the other owner. For all I know, both could have passed (reason for the vacancy) and inherited by the kids. What are my options? How do I find out who their insurance company is? I read that policy information is private and not in public records. Should I get a lawyer and handle this in court?? But I'm afraid the court fees may overshadow the repair fees. Or should I just suck it up and repair it myself out-of-pocket, which to me sounds insane since my property had nothing to do with the fire.