The Spring storm season is officially off to a bustling start here in North Texas. We've seen heavy rains, large hail, and howling winds so far in March. As those winds pick up, trees really start to sway. And eventually they will fall over with enough wind. One of those awkward moments in the subdivision the next morning is when your tree has blown over and landed either partially or fully on your neighbor's home. While many of our call are for hail, when this call comes into Insurance For Texans, there is always concern as to whose insurance is going to pay for it. It's actually pretty easily to determine from the insurance companies part, though it may be confusing for the homeowners.
If your tree falls on your own home, you are covered. Adjusters are quick to get that taken care of for you. Financial responsibility for damage to a home that is not your's comes down to one real issue. Negligence. The definition of negligence stipulates that it is a failure to exercise the care that the law requires to protect others. So what does that have to do with my tree?
If your tree falls on your neighbor's home from your property, you have to be guilty of negligence with respect to caring for your tree. But how is that determined? It really comes down to the health of your tree since we are talking about a failure to exercise care that protects others. If your tree is a good, healthy tree that you have kept in great shape, there is no negligence on your part. If your tree has rotting sections that were not addressed prior to the storm, you will be on the hook for the damages and your Ft Worth home insurance policy can be used to cover it. However, if the tree was simply a Bradford Pear that became top heavy and just fell over due to the wind, the other person's home insurance policy is going to be responsible for it.
This is the point where your neighbor can become upset. What can you do? While there is nothing that you are required to do according to home insurance policies, we do advocate being a good neighbor. Offering to pay the deductible for them or other means of help cleaning up is considered a great thing! If the damage and clean up is less than the deductible, paying for the entire thing is definitely a great thing. Most of all, be a good Texan and help take care of each other.
If you have questions around what is, and is not covered by your Burleson Home Insurance policy we are here to help. Insurance for Texans is an independent insurance agency that is here to help all Texans with their needs.
