Home Insurance Claim Settlement for Water Damage Questions

[William Chen]

A month ago in October, my quadplex in Atlanta, GA experienced some water flooding issues during tenant move out with significant damage to two units and minor damage to the third unit.The property manager was unable to pinpoint who or what caused the pipes to start flooding the units. Two of the units are vacant but the flooding soaked and ruined everything the walls, carpets, appliances throughout the rooms.  

I filed a claim with the insurance company and they sent out an adjuster to inspect and provide a repair estimate. The itemized estimate came back at roughly $20k to repair all three units. My property manager, contractor, and I agree that this amount seems very low considering the amount of damage incurred. The contractor is quoting $25k to repair the two vacant units, and $9k to repair the occupied unit for a combined $34k. 

It's been roughly 3 weeks of negotiations with the insurance adjuster on the settlement amount. However, during this time the property manager recommended that I proceed with repairing the occupied unit to livable conditions and I agreed to $6k worth of repair work on the walls and flooring. 

The insurance adjuster in our last call has declined to increase the settlement amount and made the decision to send out the payment to me because he feels this has dragged on for too long. There is no written approval from me that I accept the repair estimates or settlement amount. 

Am I forced to accept the insurance settlement if I haven't agreed to receive payment?

Should I ask the insurance company to assign a new adjuster to my case, even if one of the units has been partially repaired?

Would a lawyer be helpful in this case or am I out of luck?

Thank you for taking the time to read through my post!