Learn when home insurance covers property damage from fallen trees and who is responsible when a neighbor’s tree falls on your home.
Key Points from Your Austin Insurance Team:
- If a healthy tree falls during a covered storm, home insurance may cover damage to your home or belongings, along with the costs to remove the tree.
- There’s typically no coverage if the tree falls due to lack of maintenance.
- In general, home insurance won’t pay to remove a tree that didn’t cause any property damage, nor will it reimburse you for preventive tree removal.
- You file a home insurance claim under your own policy when a neighbor’s fallen tree damages your property.
When trees cause property damage, the line between what is covered by home insurance and what is not is somewhat tricky. That’s because common types of tree-related damage are often avoidable with proper tree care. Insurance isn’t designed to reimburse you for things such as preventive measures, wear and tear, or lack of maintenance.
However, if a covered event is responsible for a tree falling onto your home, your policy may respond and help cover the resulting damage.
Does Home Insurance Cover Fallen Trees?
The answer to this frequently asked question isn’t a simple “Yes” or “No.” Determining whether a fallen tree is covered by home insurance depends on several factors, including:
- Why it fell
- What its prior condition was
- Who it belongs to
- What was damaged
In general, however, home insurance can help repair your home or replace your belongings when severe weather such as strong winds, lightning strikes, or blizzards knock a tree through your roof, window, or another part of your property. Your policy can also help pay to remove the tree and surrounding debris.
What Types of Tree Damage Are Covered by Home Insurance?
A standard home insurance policy can help with the following in a covered claim:
- Damage to your home and other structures: If there’s structural damage to your home, roof, garage, deck, shed, or pool, your policy can help pay for the subsequent repairs or reconstruction. Dwelling coverage applies to your home and its attached features, while other structures coverage extends protection to the detached buildings and structures on your property.
- Damage to your personal property: When your furniture, clothes, electronics, and other belongings are destroyed because a tree falls onto your house and exposes them to the elements, your personal property coverage can help you replace these items.
- Additional living expenses: In severe losses, you may find yourself displaced from your home while repairs are in progress, requiring you to stay in a hotel and order takeout. Additional living expenses (or loss of use) coverage can help pick up the tab for costs that exceed your normal living expenses.
When Is Tree Damage Not Covered by Home Insurance?
Coverage may not apply in the following scenarios:
- The fallen tree was rotting or dead: There’s generally no coverage for trees falling because of negligence—upkeep is all part of being a homeowner. Even if the rotting or dead tree falls during a covered event, the resulting damage to your property may become your responsibility. Home insurance doesn’t cover preventive tree removal, but it’s better to address a potentially dangerous tree sooner rather than later.
- The fallen tree didn’t cause any type of property damage: You will likely pay for all tree removal costs out of pocket if the tree simply lands in your yard, regardless of its health status. However, you may be able to recover some of your expenses if the downed tree blocks your driveway or prevents a disabled person from accessing a ramp.
What If My Neighbor’s Tree Falls onto My Home?
Tree damage involving neighbors can be confusing. In general, if your neighbor’s tree falls onto your home during a covered event, then you would file a homeowners claim under your own policy.
You may be surprised by this since the tree belongs to your neighbor, but this setup also applies if the roles were reversed: If your tree damages your neighbor’s property, then their home insurance policy would provide coverage, not yours.
However, if you can prove your neighbor’s lack of maintenance contributed to the tree falling, then their home insurance policy may reimburse your deductible.
The Austin team is here to support you through one of the insurance industry’s many “it-depends” situations. When you experience tree property damage, especially when a storm places your safety, home, or belongings at risk, contact us so we can advise how your policy works, file any potential fallen-tree claims, and get you on the road to recovery.