房子水管因剧冷爆裂 发现租客未搬入 因空调加热器未开

We signed a lease in mid-January with a section 8 tenant, we gave them the key upon their lease start date, they told us they would start moving in that night. Last week, the weather here was extremely cold, mostly below freezing for almost a week. We thought the tenant lived in our house and assumed the heating was on, so everything should be fine. But yesterday, they called me telling me that they found the living room's whole ceiling fell down, and water was everywhere, carpet was all wet, dry walls are all wet. And I was very surprised to hear that they had not been even living in my house! I called the gas company, and I was told the tenant did not transfer the gas service on the lease start date, even though they told us they did transfer on the lease start date. They did not have the heating on! and they also did not turn off the water from the main valve outside. So apparently the water pipe bursted in the extremely cold weather.

1. What can I do to recoup the damages?

2. Do I need to notify section 8 office? Can I get compensated from section 8 office due to the tenant's mistake?

3. Should I get the tenant to pay for the damages? and How?

4. What damages could my house have? What are options to fix?

Thanks very much for your time and kind advice. We are very upset about our damages...

所有跟帖： 

• 回复：房子水管因剧冷爆裂 发现租客未搬入 因空调加热器未开 -planotx- ♂ (702 bytes) () 02/06/2011 postreply 06:49:27

• Thanks -longhaul- ♀ (0 bytes) () 02/06/2011 postreply 07:42:05

• 回复：回复：房子水管因剧冷爆裂 发现租客未搬入 因空调加热器未开 -longhaul- ♀ (408 bytes) () 02/08/2011 postreply 21:01:26

• 1.insurance 2.no 3. good luck 4. get an estimate.. -jy101- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/06/2011 postreply 06:52:41

• Thanks for your advice -longhaul- ♀ (0 bytes) () 02/06/2011 postreply 07:41:23

• lesson Learned -pssci- ♂ (177 bytes) () 02/06/2011 postreply 09:54:06

• why don't you set the house temperature up to 50F. -比花花还花- ♂ (36 bytes) () 02/06/2011 postreply 12:26:06

• I did not know the tenant did not even move in after 3 weeks... -longhaul- ♀ (694 bytes) () 02/06/2011 postreply 13:49:49

• Check your insurance is the only thing you can do. -nonego- ♂ (211 bytes) () 02/07/2011 postreply 09:13:48