It’s a fact that at some point, for homeowners an unforeseen circumstance will strike, including untimely events that can result in significant property damages. Just one single storm can bring down an entire tree in minutes, resulting in costly home repairs and debris removal.
Who is responsible for the cost of repairs and damaged tree removal if produced by bad weather? Is everything covered by a person’s homeowners insurance? The simplest answer is “yes“, In most cases, homeowner’s insurance covers fallen or broken trees. However, it truly depends on how much damage was done to the property and home. It would only be worth it to make a claim if there is very severe damage done to the home.
The longer answer to that question requires a few other considerations of other factors.
Read on to learn more…
Homeowners Insurance For Tree Removal
A homeowner’s insurance policy protects your home and any other structures located on your property. Typically, homeowners property insurance covers a variety of damages that result from perils, or events, such as a wind storm or heavy amounts of snow.
Covered Tree Removal
At times, homeowners are faced with property damage due to fallen trees. If the fallen tree expense is covered by a homeowner’s insurance policy is determined whether the tree fell because of acts of God, where the tree fell, and what specifically what damage was caused to the home (again, we are talking about home insurance…. not tree insurance). Various factors directly affect if your standard homeowner’s policy will cover the tree removal cost or coverage for any cost of repairs.
Here are a few scenarios:
- If a tree falls on your home due to a bad storm of hail or ice, your policy provides coverage for tree removal. (But truly the extent of property damage, will be the main factor on making a claim here.)
- If a tree falls causing damage to your personal property or of anyone else’s property and it is because it is a decayed tree or a damaged tree, then the tree removal expenses would not be covered.
- If tree damage is caused by a flooding event or an earthquake, its removal or property repairs would only be covered if flooding and earthquake coverage are added to your basic policy.
- If a tree falls in your yard without resulting in any property damage, it is highly likely that coverage of tree removal will not be included.
- If you fail to properly maintain the health of a tree, insurance will not cover a claim for tree damage or a claim for tree removal since it is considered to be a preventable event. It is important to take preventative action if you feel that a tree on your property looks suspicious or hazardous. Failure to do so is considered property owner negligence and can be very costly for you in the future.
A Neighbour’s Property
What about a tree that falls from your property and does damage to your neighbour’s property? Or even the reverse of that and it is your neighbour’s tree that damages your property. Again, there are factors that are to be considered.
- If a healthy tree falls from your property causing property damages to your neighbour’s house, then your neighbour would file a claim for the damage with their personal homeowner’s insurance. Likewise, if the situation were reversed, you would file a claim for property damage with your insurance company.
- However, if dead branches or an entire tree were to cause damage to your neighbour’s property, then any losses would be your responsibility.
What About Vehicle Damage?
Unfortunately, most homeowners insurance policies do not cover vehicle costs when damage is caused by tree branches or dead trees. Cars are considered to be “empty space” or as if the tree fell in the middle of the yard. Comprehensive coverage on your auto insurance policy covers damages to your car by falling objects.
If a tree falls on your vehicle as a result of something other than a storm, such as vandalism or theft, then the insurer may cover the cost for the removal of the tree.
Preventative Tree Removal
Homeowners insurance policies do not cover preventative tree removal or dead tree removal. The cost of these removals is solely the homeowner’s responsibility. You may reason that you do not want to pay the cost of tree removal, but that cost could be less now instead of being negligent and incurring the cost of removal and cost of damages later.
How Much is Actually Covered?
It is important to read your homeowner’s policy and know the limits and requirements for tree removal insurance coverage. Most policies have a cap on their payout for tree removal services. Many times, the payout for tree removal is a percentage of your total dwelling coverage. However, this is usually limited to a maximum amount per tree.
Either Way, Call a Professional!
There are a variety of reasons that you would require the assistance of a professional tree removal service. You may be a conscientious homeowner having dead and diseased trees removed for preventative measures. Or you may have trees that require removal after storms.
Stumps “R” Us can take any guesswork or stress in the process of using your homeowners insurance for tree removal. As you can see, all of the cases above are situational, and may need a quote if you are working with your insurance company for tree clean-up. Our tree service experts can provide professional advice and ensure the work is done properly by trained arborists and tree professionals. Call the best for trusted tree services in Ontario.