If a dead tree in your own yard falls through your own house, will an insurance company generally still pay? Even if the homeowner knew it was obviously dead to begin with? I think they wont due to negligence. Am I right?
2007-08-31 03:06:26 · 5 answers · asked by Anne E 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Insurance
Note: I am not having the tree problem, my co-worker's neighbor is. I told him that she could have problems with the insurance company, he disagreed. So I thought I would ask Yahoo Answers. I am not dumb enough to leave a massive dead Pine tree standing in my back yard.
2007-09-03 08:21:50 · update #1
They'll pay for the damage to your house, less your deductible, and a very limited amount of the tree removal cost - usually about $250. And only for the part of the tree that fell on the house.
Then, the adjuster will look to see if you have OTHER dead trees on your property, and report back to the underwriter. They'll give you 30 days to have the OTHER dead trees removed (or whatever the "hazardous condition" is), then cancel your policy.
Yes, it's negligence. Yes, they pay anyway, because it's too hard for them to prove in court that you KNEW the tree was in poor condition. That's why, they look for other bad trees, then give you notice.
2007-08-31 13:15:50 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Stupidity is not excluded.
Possibly, your company will cover if the tree falls on your house. However, they will then cancel your policy because you are a bad risk - since you don't maintain your property. This can make it difficult for you to get insurance with another company.
For what it's worth - cut the tree down - don't let if fall on the house - the claim will be a much bigger hassle then cutting the tree down.
2007-08-31 12:31:11 · answer #2 · answered by Boots 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, they would pay. When a policy is written or renewed, the insurer has the right to inspect to property and cancel for underwriting reasons. If your policy is new, your insurer should have sent a insurance inspection company to your house, taken pictures of the tree and required you to remove it. If they didn't than it's their mistake. Rest assured, if they pay a claim, your house WILL be inspected in the future.
HO insurance will deny certain negligence claims: poor workmanship, insect or pet damage, but I've never seen "should have cut down dead tree"
2007-08-31 03:22:00 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
That is sort of a gray area. We recently had 3 trees removed that had died during the building process. Your homeowners insurnace does have the obligation to pay for things like this, however if you have know it and it was a problem tree, likely to fall and damage your house you will probably get a little grief over it.
2007-08-31 03:12:44 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The insurance company will examine the tree, and if it appears that there is obvious weakness indicating the tree should have been removed by the owner to prevent its falling, the loss will most likely not be covered. The insurance company can claim that the damage was caused by owner negligence.
2007-08-31 03:12:32 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋