Getting your homeowners insurance policy to cover tree removal depends on a couple of different factors, including whether any property was damaged and what caused the tree to fall. For the claim to be eligible, the fallen tree must have been caused by a covered peril, such as a windstorm, hail, or ice.
Learn more about when tree removal may be covered by insurance and when you’ll probably need to foot the bill yourself.
How can trees damage your property?
Having mature trees in your yard can be beautiful, but there are several potential scenarios that could cause damage to your property. Watch out for these common issues associated with trees, particularly as they get older and larger.
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Falling branches: Branches can fall in wind, ice, or simply from age or disease. If the tree hangs over your property, the branches could strike your home, vehicle, fence, other structures, and even power lines.
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Root growth: Mature trees can have roots that spread substantially and eventually grow into your home’s foundation or underground lines for plumbing, all of which can cause cracks and leaks.
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Gutter blockage: Trees that hang over or scrape your gutters can impact the water flow and cause damage to your foundation over time.
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Termites: A rotting tree or even live tree limbs touching your home could attract termites to the area, making your home susceptible to an infestation.
While all of these situations can cause property damage and potentially leave fallen trees behind, removal is not always covered by a standard homeowners insurance policy.
When is tree removal not covered by insurance?
There are three situations in which you may need to have a tree removed from your property, but where your insurance company’s standard policy probably doesn’t cover the cost.
Preventative tree removal
Removing trees to prevent them from causing damage to your property isn’t covered under homeowners insurance; it’s just considered a cost of home maintenance. But it’s still very important to address trees that have the potential to cause structural damage before they fall.
Keep an eye on the health and growth of your trees and have them trimmed regularly to stay away from roof lines or other nearby property. Also look for signs of disease and dead trees and proactively get them removed. That way, you don’t have to deal with the hassle of repairing your property, even if the fall is covered by your policy.
Plus, dead and diseased trees can attract pests like termites and carpenter ants. These wood-boring insects can make their way into your home or foundation, causing structural damage that is also not covered by homeowners insurance.
Leaving diseased specimens on your property can impact others nearby, causing more potential for tree damage. Plus, if you put off tree removal for too long, more sick trees mean more you have to pay to get removed.
Fallen trees that didn’t damage your property
Homeowners insurance policies are designed to cover damage to your structures and other property, which is why you typically don’t get reimbursed for removing fallen trees that don’t actually hurt anything. Cleaning up yard debris is considered home maintenance rather than an event related to a covered peril.
One possible exception is if the fallen tree is obstructing the driveway or handicapped ramp. Even if the structure isn’t damaged, your insurance policy may cover the removal in order to ensure you have access in and out of your home.
Trees felled by natural disasters
While many natural disasters are listed as covered perils in your policy, there are a few that are excluded. Any damage caused by trees that fall during an excluded natural disaster, plus the removal of the tree, must be paid out of pocket rather than by your homeowners insurance, unless you purchase additional coverage.
Some examples of common natural disaster exclusions include:
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Earthquakes. Standard homeowners insurance policies don’t include earthquake coverage. But if you live in an area prone to this type of disaster, you can purchase either a rider for your current policy or a separate policy that solely covers earthquake-related damage.
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Floods. Flood insurance is another type of coverage you can purchase as a standalone policy or endorsement. In fact, you may be required by your lender to have flood coverage if you live in a flood zone and have a mortgage. Search for your address in the FEMA Flood Map Service Center to find your home’s risk level.
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Mudflow. Mudflow, defined as a river of mud caused by heavy rainfall, is typically included in flood insurance.This is different from a mudslide, which is characterized as a mass of earth moving downhill without causing water to enter your home. According to the Insurance Information Institute, mudslide coverage doesn’t fall under any type of homeowners insurance policy.
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Sewer backup. While not necessarily a natural disaster, sewer backup (and the resulting damage) can be caused by tree roots, aging systems, and other issues. Maintenance is your responsibility, and so is removing tree roots that may be growing into your sewer lines. It is possible to purchase additional insurance coverage for sewer or water backup.
Important to note: Some policies in areas known for strong winds may explicitly exclude windstorm damage from coverage. In other cases, wind damage might be covered but subject to a separate deductible.
Which home insurance coverages apply when a tree falls on your house?
Homeowners insurance typically includes certain categories of coverage. If fallen tree removal is covered by your insurance, it may fall under several coverage types, depending on how or where the fallen tree causes damage.
First, your dwelling coverage (Coverage A) kicks in for damage to your home's structure. If a tree falls on your home and causes damage, your dwelling coverage likely pays for repairing the damage and removing the tree off of covered property, up to the coverage amount in your policy – often between $500 and $1,000.
If a tree falls on and damages your garage, shed, or some other outbuilding or structure (e.g., your pool enclosure), then your insurance claim falls under your other structures coverage (Coverage B). Other structures coverage works like dwelling coverage but applies to physical damage to structures on your property other than your primary residence.
Whichever coverage part applies, your policy can help pay to remove the tree and any debris from your home or other covered structures on your property. These costs are covered up to the debris removal limits, which are typically around $500.
Who is responsible if your tree falls on a neighbor's house?
These can be difficult claims and put you in an uncomfortable position with the neighbor. One important thing to keep in mind is that if an act of God causes your tree to fall on your neighbor’s property, you’re normally not responsible for the loss. In these cases, you want to ask your neighbor to report their claim to their own insurance provider.
However, if your tree falls because it is rotted or dead, then your neighbor could file a claim against your liability coverage. When this happens, your insurer will likely investigate to see if there was any negligence on your part, so you want to take good photos of the condition of the tree and tree trunk before it's discarded. This is also why tree maintenance is so important.