Help needed with insurance claim issue

[Jon Haney]

Hi everyone,

In February a pipe burst in a rental property we own in Indiana. The flooding damage cost about $10,000 to repair, and now we've been going back and forth via our property manager to settle the claim with the insurance company. (We live abroad so can't be in person to negotiate the process.) 

Here's the problem. The insurance company needs proof that the heating was turned on when the pipe burst, or else we are out the $10k. The property manager has said repeatedly that there is no way for them to prove this,  but I haven't heard from them exactly why that is. The tenants have since moved on and new tenants are in the house. 

What are your immediate thoughts about this? Is it possible for me to go straight to a utilities company, for instance, and ask for verification for this sort of thing?

Thanks, 

Jon