Cause of the loss: I was in the middle of evicting a tenant. They left the property without notice, shut off the gas and electricity, but did NOT shut off the water. It was winter, pipes froze and burst, and the house flooded.
The insurance adjuster first asked for gas & electric bills—I provided those. Then they asked for the bill on the exact date of the accident. Problem is, I literally don’t have that, because utilities were shut off during that period.
I hired a public adjuster (PA) to handle everything, but they completely ignored this issue. It also took them forever just to produce an estimate.
Two months ago I asked the PA to follow up with the carrier. The carrier adjuster is STILL asking for that same “accident date” utility bill. I told the PA I don’t have it.
About a month ago, I pushed the PA harder, and they told me:
“There’s nothing we can do right now. Don’t rush the adjuster—it might enrage them and cause a denial.”
That sounded… questionable to me.
Meanwhile, the only thing I’ve received from the insurance company is a notice saying they may cancel my policy in ~3 months if the property stays vacant.
My questions:
Can I (or should I) contact the insurance adjuster directly at this point?
Is “not upsetting the adjuster” actually a real strategy, or is my PA just stalling?
What do people usually do when the insurer asks for documentation that literally doesn’t exist?
At what point do you escalate (supervisor / complaint / attorney)?
I already know coverage is probably a long shot—but this endless waiting with no progress is driving me insane.
Any advice would be appreciated.