Over the weekend, Southeastern Pennsylvania was hit by a pretty significant storm that caused more uprooted trees than I can ever remember being caused by a single storm. Everywhere I go, I see trees on houses, cars, and blocking roads. We have also received many phone calls from clients who had trees fall… some will be covered, others will not.
Here is what you need to know about insurance when a tree falls:
- If the tree doesn’t hit anything, there is no coverage. When a tree falls in your yard and does not land on anything, there is no coverage for removal of the tree. Unfortunately, the tree must hit the house or another structure on the property, such as a shed or fence, to trigger coverage under a homeowners policy.
- If your neighbor’s tree falls on your house, or in your yard, it is your responsibility.If your neighbor wants to be really nice, they can cover your deductible. However, it will be your policy that pays anything over and above the deductible. Everything from the previous bullet-point still applies.
- If a tree falls on your car, damage to your vehicle will be covered by your auto insurance company and subject to your comprehensive deductible. The cost to remove the tree is a gray area and will likely depend on the location of the incident. If it happens at your home, it is likely that you are going to cover the majority (if not all) of the cost to remove the tree from your vehicle.
There are multiple storms each year that bring this issue to the forefront of the insurance conversation, so it is important to be aware of what your policy does or does not cover.
Call Risk Averse Insurancein Media, PA to discuss your homeowners insurance.
Risk Averse Insurance is an insurance agency in Delaware County that specializes in providing high-quality insurance products at an affordable price.