A question clients always ask during this stormy time of year :

If a tree falls on my house, does my homeowners insurance cover us?

If a neighbors tree falls on my house, am I still covered and who is responsible?

…

If you are insured on any H0-3 or H0-5, both standard homeowners forms, the answer is yes you are covered. You are covered not only for the damage,but also for the tree removal and cleanup. ( less your deductible)

If a tree falls on your house from a neighboring property you are also covered. Yet this scenario is where folks can get a bit confused. Since the tree was on a neighbors property, most people deem the neighbor responsible, and think the neighbor must handle the claim and assume all the costs. This is NOT true. A healthy tree falling is considered ” an act of god” and has no fault , regardless of who’s property the tree resides.

** Notice I said ” healthy tree”. There is scenarios where a professional can be consulted and a tree can be deemed a danger due to rot, insects, heavy leaning, hanging limbs, etc. In this case, the neighbor could actually have some liability if the professional indicated the tree should be removed , due to the risk of falling. If the neighbor ignores this warning , it could be deemed neglect , possibly shifting the fault to them. This is of course a case by case scenario.

Overall , we recommend you walk your entire property, check your trees for health and dangerous hanging limbs, and of course consult a professional when in doubt.

Better safe now, instead of sorry later!