Obviously, based on my relationship with the company, I'm not unbiased, but most people here on BiggerPockets know that I value my reputation above all, and when I agreed to join FTF as an advisor a couple years ago, it was because I was very impressed not only with their business model and underwriting guidelines, but with the CEO (Matt Rodak) and the rest of the management team.I have no requirement to invest my own money on the FTF platform; I do that simply because I like the platform, like the deals that are being funded and find the returns to be nearly as good as the private lending I do, but without all the overhead. 

I’m trying to understand if this situation is normal and if it's worth my time to pursue the tenants for the lost rent and damages.

For those that say the insurance company's job is not to pay out --- then perhaps you should go with a more reputable insurance company...Hope this bit helps. 

You probably don't know about septic systems, foundations, how to look for termite damage, how to know if you need a new roof, how much life is left in the AC, or what it costs (from a contractor) to fix much of anything.  

It would not be prudent of me to not want some kind of coverage for damages to the property given the investment being made on the property and it's value. 

This public exposure to the commission process may be the most damaging aspect and may dwarf these verdicts longer term. 

It means doing local maintenance in case a cord is damaged, but simplifies things for the tenants with reserved parking spots.

Agreed, reputation is key! 

Always test a small spot in somewhere that's not noticeable to make sure it's not going to damage it.

I caught it before closing which minimized my damages.