Need some apartment advice, please

My fiancee's apartment suffered some pretty signifcant water damage last night. An apartment two floors above flooded when the water heater exploded, and within 20 min., there was water stains on the ceiling and walls of my girl's place.
The fire department kicked us out of the apt. because of the potential for the ceiling to cave (apparently the floor above us was 10 times worse). So we went and got a hotel for the night. Cost us 100 bucks.
Here's the deal. The apt. complex has said only the business manager can refund money for a hotel stay, but they also said they would have to "evaluate" the damage first.
That shouldn't matter one bit, though, right? I mean, the fire department told us to grab clothes and get the F*** out. We didn't have much of a choice. The second we walked out, they cut the power to the apt.
We came back today, and while the carpets had already been cleaned and we were told the painters would take care of the walls/ceiling soon, neither of us are in much of a position to throw away 100 bucks. Do they have to reimburse us?
Thanks in advance.

 

Call whichever agent has your renter's insurance and see what he or she says.

 

Don't live somewhere where they do roofing work at 7 in the morning. You run the risk of dying from the dust raining down on you as you try to sleep after a late night working.

 

I'd say get a letter from the fire chief who ordered you to leave. Make sure he says why he was ordering the evacuation (that the apartment could have been unfit to live in).

If worse comes to worse, I'm sure you and the other tenants of the building that were evacuated or inconvenienced could get together and have your voices heard.

 

I'd say the fire department ordering you out is all the evaluation you need.
Get it in writing, and if they deny it, take them to small claims court -- along with the bill for any other items that were damaged in the slightest. The the complex is going to fuck with you, fuck them back.

 

If you don't have renters' insurance (I never carried it in all the time I rented) and you can't get an immediate reimbursement, consider calling your local Red Cross chapter. They help frequently help people displaced by house fires, so maybe they can help you out.

 

Little update (no, it didn't take long).
The apt. complex told my fiancee that the cost of the hotel would be taken off next month's rent, as well as any other displacements next week while they're finishing up the walls/ceilings/floors.
Seems at least one complex is going to take care of its tenants.
Thanks for the advice, guys.

 

Good for them.

 

Not to be a jerk here, but get them for the cost of your meals while you were gone as well. And anything else you had to buy (toothpaste, deoderant...etc).

When she moves out, they are going to fight her every step of the way over every little thing.

Get yours now.

 

Get Kyle K. to pay for everything. And then give him a fist pound.

 

Big ups, New Balance, Big ups.

 

A renter's agreement that covered our last apartment stated that if we were displaced, we didn't owe rent and the landlord didn't owe us a place to live.

We'd have been on our own, I guess.