{"id":1253,"date":"2018-09-11T13:24:05","date_gmt":"2018-09-11T18:24:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/?p=1253"},"modified":"2020-04-27T07:56:31","modified_gmt":"2020-04-27T12:56:31","slug":"if-mother-nature-knocks-over-a-tree-in-your-yard-do-you-have-insurance-coverage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/11\/if-mother-nature-knocks-over-a-tree-in-your-yard-do-you-have-insurance-coverage\/","title":{"rendered":"If Mother Nature knocks over a tree in your yard, do you have insurance coverage?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week\u2019s blog identified areas of your property you should inspect after a severe storm. Some of those areas include roof, siding, outdoor structures, and fallen trees.
\nA common claim scenario that insureds deal with after a storm is fallen trees. High winds and saturated ground can create the perfect storm.
\nEarlier this summer, heavy storms rolled through my sister-in-law\u2019s neighborhood. After the storm cleared, she inspected her property. What she found was a large branch from her tree extending into her neighbor\u2019s yard. Initially, she assumed it would be her responsibility to file a claim with her insurance company to cover the damages and removal. She quickly learned that this is a complicated situation, which can cause intense arguments between once friendly neighbors.
\nHomeowners Insurance 101<\/strong>
\nA standard homeowners policy (basic form) typically protects you from the causes of loss (perils) listed below.
\nFire and lightening
\nSmoke and explosions
\nWindstorms and hail
\nVolcanic eruptions
\nFalling objects (trees)
\nTheft or vandalism
\nMalicious mischief
\nAircraft or vehicle damage
\nSnow, sleet, and ice
\nBelow are some common questions and answers regarding how a standard homeowners policy may respond.
\n<\/strong>
\nQ: If my tree falls and damages my home or property, is it covered?<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong> Typically, a standard homeowners policy covers damage caused by a fallen tree if the cause of loss (peril) is wind. Covered property includes your home and other structures, such as a fence or shed. If a tree falls on your car and turns it into a Matchbox car, your auto policy will provide coverage if you have purchased comprehensive insurance.
\nQ: If my neighbor\u2019s tree falls on my home or property is it covered?
\n<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong> This is a situation where your relationship with your neighbor can sour. If your neighbor\u2019s tree falls on your property due to wind, you\u2019re responsible for the cleanup and contacting your insurance company to see if there\u2019s coverage for any damage sustained. If there\u2019s coverage for the damage, you\u2019re responsible for paying your deductible. The same would be true for your neighbors if your tree falls on their property.
\nThis is where the conflict started with my sister-in-law and her neighbor. Her neighbors felt it was absurd that they had to pay for debris removal charges for a tree that wasn\u2019t theirs. In some situations, neighbors will agree to split the debris removal charges as an act of good faith. Because this turned into an ugly situation, my sister-in-law paid for the tree removal.
\nQ: My neighbor caused the tree to fall, am I still responsible for damage?
\n<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong> If you can prove that your neighbor\u2019s tree fell because it was diseased or dead and they didn\u2019t do anything to prevent this, then they\u2019d be responsible for your property damage due to negligence. In addition, if your neighbor cut down a tree and it fell and damaged your property, they would be responsible for that as well.
\nQ: Do I have coverage for debris removal?
\n<\/strong>
\nA: <\/strong>Depending on your policy, you may have coverage. The basic homeowners policy could pay up to $500 for the removal of any one tree and up to $1,000 for any one loss. Unless stated differently in the policy, your homeowners deductible would apply for this type of loss.
\nSome policies might specify that the tree must have damaged a covered structure or is blocking a driveway in order for debris removal coverage to apply. Some policies could provide coverage for tree debris removal regardless of whether or not there’s other damage to property.
\nQ: Do I have coverage for damaged trees or shrubs?<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong> Another portion of your policy could reveal coverage that would pay for damaged trees, shrubs, and other plants. It would list those perils for which coverage might apply.
\nSo many variables can come into play when determining coverage. Review your policy with your agent; he or she will be able to answer any questions you have about your coverages, or they can check with the carrier on your behalf.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week\u2019s blog identified areas of your property you should inspect after a severe storm. Some of those areas include roof, siding, outdoor structures, and fallen trees. A common claim scenario that insureds deal with after a storm is fallen trees. High winds and saturated ground can create the perfect storm. Earlier this summer, heavy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1255,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1253"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1253\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}