<prompt> Human: This is a hindsight is 2020 story full of OMG, I wouldnt do that if I were you. My husband and I are in the military, we got orders and rented out our house. This house was more than likely going to be our home when we both separated. I had a friend who needed a place to stay and because she has a descent job that she had had over a year I felt like she would be a good person to rent to, plus I had been her room mate before my husband and I married AND she was my friend. To keep it on the up and up I told her that we were getting a housing management company to handle the finances and we would keep that business separated. Fast forward a year and we were a stereotype. She rarely paid rent and when she did it wasnt full. Finally we told them to kick her out unpaid rent equalled about 8,000. Its time for her to move and she turns off the heat and leaves the window in the basement open and the pipes in the house explode and the house is flooding the neighborhood. We just found out today and since she turned off the heat its not covered by the insurance. We had home owners insurance and nothing further. Now the management company says the damage is so extensive no one can live there and its a loss. They recommend short selling the home and taking the loss or throwing money into the home to repair it. We owe 250K on it and we were literally just making ends meet carrying the mortgage and our rent at our new location. Its a big financial blow, I feel like its made our life river change course. We wanted to have another baby this year and now I dont know if we will ever be able to afford it. Yesterday I was looking into getting my son into preschool and today thats out the window. My question is, what do we do? Since we used a housing management company then they will sue the tenant for the funds but if the tenant is broke what happens I dont know her financial situation any more because she started ducking me as soon as she stopped paying rent? Should we sell the home short sale or should we try to save it? We lived in a great neighborhood that was also having more developments pop up around it. We are totally clueless and I could use a guide or suggestion. Prior to this madness we were using the Dave Ramsey plan and were doing really well with cutting the fat and after doing so well with our discipline this is very overwhelming. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  <response>: This will probably get buried, but Im going anyway. First, a side note: as others have said, you need to get a good lawyer, and you need to take your friend to court, contact the local police to see if theyll make a report just try, and your lawyer needs to review your insurance policy and push back on your insurance company. This is a good time not to take no for an answer on anything. You need to try.Now, onward. Personal story: I rent homes for a living. Ive had a pipe burst in a home while tenants were on vacation. Not their fault; they did everything they needed to do, it was just bad luck. They had asked us for a repair before going on vacation, so knowing they would be gone for a while, we didnt rush over to get it done. When we got there, water had been running for, we believe, fully four or five days flat out of a nearly 2 split. There was no corner or side of the house that didnt have water flowing from under the siding or door thresholds. A week later, everything that was water-damaged was gone and the house was habitable enough that the patient tenant was able to occupy it, with some inconveniences we didnt charge rent at all that month, of course. Within 30 days, we were completely dried out, closed in, new floors, carpets, etc. and just dabbling with trim.So, in my view, the most important thing right now is to stop any further damage to the house. Dont write the house off just yet, but time is not your friend. See it for yourself, or get your family to really dig into it, preferably someone cool-headed. These things often look bad but end up not being as bad as they look. The important thing is to get some restoration contractors in there RIGHT NOW, get some estimates, choose one quickly hours and get it dried out. Winter is actually working in your favor now--colder temps will slow down mold growth. All wet drywall, insulation, carpet, floor sheathing, etc. needs to be removed. Wet lumber may be OK if exposed and properly dehumidified. Your contractor should leave dehumidifiers in the home running until measured with proper equipment moisture levels drop to normal levels. Again, winter is in your favor, the cold air tends to be a bit drier than in summer and will help the process. In a couple of weeks, youll have an ugly, but clean shell. You can then start getting bids from contractors to rebuild. DO NOT let the restoration contractor rebuild you, at least not as part of the same estimatejob. In my experience, restoration contractors are poor builders and should stick to their knitting.My heart goes out to you. People who screw our military personnel when theyre off protecting the rest of us deserve a special circle in hell. But you can recover. Its time for a cool head. Save your house first, then handle the other business.Ill bet if you open a GoFundMe, Redditors will donate. I will.Also, I sent a tweet to The Property Brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott, and The Rehab Addict Nicole Curtis. I dont know them personally, or if that will turn into anything, but I think you deserve any attention you can get. If other Redditors want to do the same, it might get up on their radar, and if they cant do anything, they might know someone who can. They are: nicolecurtis, MrDrewScott, MrSilverScott.TL;DR Save your house from further damage NOW. Get a restoration contractor in to strip the damage and dry it out. Dont assume its a loss, but if you dont jump into action, it could become one. If you cant afford it, open a GoFundMe account. 