The Contractor's insurance told me I cannot submit a claim for damages and that only the contractor can do so.If he chose not to submit a claim, what are my options?

We kept his deposit, between giving no notice we would have been entitled to it for the month's rent, it would have been difficult to make a case on the damages since there was no condition report from when he moved in, but we could have charged him to remove and dispose of all the junk.

Better an amicable split (with you, if not between them), so you can get in, verify no damages to give them deposit, then to have them hang on for months and not pay (and maybe do more damage).There are people still looking for housing and ways to show/sign leases with minimal risk, so better empty and rent it out again than months of known no pay.

Looks like that only applies to physical damage to your property such as fire.  

Separate two things: possible compensation for her increased costs/damages due to your failure to deliver and he request demand for further compensation.Your lease should say something like “return of deposit is only remedy for failure to deliver”.

The fallout from this crisis could be astronomical in terms of collateral damage to both the housing market and the commercial real estate market. 

Also with the data - can the govt abstract the data to determine a remedy to limit damage ?

Both parties agree on condition up front, and both agree on condition at end, you are less likely to get pushback if you withhold all or part of the deposit.In your situation, no deposit does not technically mean no liability for damages, but obviously harder to assess, particularly if you don't have any type of documentation of the condition before tenant moved in. 

This includes fire or electrical hazards, plumbing issues that can result in a lack of hot water or water damage, lack of heat, lead paint remediation, etc.

Hi All,I have a property under contract in Pittsburgh that has a blockage 85 feet down the sewer line so the plumbers are unable to confirm whether the line is free of damage beyond that point.