Are Fallen Trees Covered by Home Insurance?
Many homeowners wonder if they are covered when a tree falls on the house. Fortunately, they are covered. A homeowners policy says that if a tree hits the home or another insured structure on the property, the damages are covered. Other insured structures would include a garage, storage shed or other detached structure. Coverage includes the structure itself and the items in it. When wind, lightning or hail cause a tree to fall, homeowners can rest assured their policies have them covered.
Another question homeowners often ask on this topic is if damages are covered only for trees on their property. Coverage is extended for any trees that fall on covered structures, and this includes trees that are rooted in a neighbor's yard. It is not uncommon for a neighbor's tree to fall over the property line onto the home next door. When a neighbor's tree falls on an insured structure, homeowners can contact their insurance company. The insurer may try to collect from the neighbor's insurance company. In this process, which is called subrogation, the insurer will find out if the neighbor is to blame for the tree falling. If the neighbor knew the tree was a hazard, he or she will typically have to pay for the damages through insurance.
In some cases, trees and shrubs may be uprooted and thrown a far distance during a hurricane or tornado. If this happens, the damage is still covered. When these types of storms occur, insurance companies rarely invest time to identify where the tree came from. If the damage is there, the policy will cover it. When a tree hits a structure, there is more to solving the issue than just paying for damages to the structure. The tree itself will also need to be removed, and this can be expensive. Depending on the insurer, there may be coverage up to $1,000 for tree removal. When a tree does not hit a structure, there is usually no coverage for debris removal. An exception may be if the tree is blocking a handicap-accessible ramp or a driveway.
A typical home insurance policy includes coverage for shrubs and trees that are damaged because of explosions, lightning, others' vehicles, aircraft, vandalism and several other incidents. Aircraft may include crashes and items that fall off of aircraft flying overhead. The amount of coverage for such incidents is usually about five percent of the insurance amount for the home. As a rule, most insurance companies limit the amount they pay to about $500 for any trees. This amount applies to one tree, so homeowners may receive more if there are multiple trees that fall down. If plants, shrubs or trees are grown for business reasons, they are not covered on a homeowners policy the same way. People with such types of plans will need to purchase a business insurance policy.
To learn more about homeowners insurance and business insurance, discuss concerns with an agent.
Thank you for visiting the Partners Insurance Agency blog. We hope you found our content helpful and informative.