Big tree branch breaks off & lands on roof ---

[mafibisha]

Its not enormous, but big enough. We can probably find a way to pull it down. And there doesn't *appear to be any damage to the roof, although we can't fully see all of it....

So what does one do in a case like this?

If we call the insurance company, what will they do .... cover the cost of someone coming out to pull down the tree and assess any damage?

Or should we pull it down (carefully!!) and see if there's damage, and then call only if there's damage?

Ya'll know everything so please give me your best advice.

TIA.

 

[Mkebound]

The simple answer is: It depends.

How big is your deductable? Would you really call someone just to remove a tree branch from your roof?

Here's my story that some what relates. Last October we had a massive snow storm here in CT. I lost 5 trees and 20 big limbs. One tree fell on the kids play set, one tree fell and shattered my glass patio table, but only one branch hit the house. We also lost power for 9 days and threw everything out in the fridge and basement freezer. My deductable is $1000.

I called the insurance company and for the first time ever as a homeowner filed a claim. They paid a flat $500 for everything lost in the fridge and freezers. They paid for a new swingset and new patio table and umbrella. I removed all the trees and limbs myself. They paid me $20 an hour for my time for the estimated time it took me to remove/cut up the trees & branchs that fell on the swing set, house and patio. They did not pay for removeal of any tree that just fell on my property. All of their payments were less the $1000 deductable.

If it were me, I'd take photos of the limb, remove it myself, and call if there was any damage.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

Disclaimer - I've never been in a situation like yours.

That said I would call your insurance company and see what they suggest.

Do you know how much your deductable is? If they call someone to come out / take it down I think you're on the hook for your deductable or for the bill for the person taking it off (depending on damage).

 

[D&D's Mom]

Homeowners insurance would only be applicable if the reason the limb fell was a covered peril. Why did it fall - was it during a storm, or was it just a dead limb that fell, etc?

 

[megan10310]

If you call your agent and they send out an estimator, it will count as a claim whether you actually make a claim or not.

We learned this the hard way with potential hail damage and then our insurance rates went WAYYYYYY up.

So be careful. I would find out on my own how much it will cost to remove the limb.

 

[mafibisha]

Homeowners insurance would only be applicable if the reason the limb fell was a covered peril. Why did it fall - was it during a storm, or was it just a dead limb that fell, etc?

Thank you ALL for your replies.

The limb fell on the house during a bad storm Thursday but we didn't hear it and just noticed it today.

Also, it won't be easy for us to remove. Its large enough that DH and I won't be able to get on a ladder (eeks) and pull it down. Its definitely too heavy and massive.

 

[daraddg]

I wouldnt file a claim myself, I learned seeing my step sister go through fighting her home owners, get a" public claims adjuster",they take over for you and handle all communication etc with the insurance companies,they know the required paperwork,the loopholes the insurance co will try to use etc there was no cost to me up front but they did take a fee of %20 of what the claim paid out in the end, I had a leaking roof after a bad winter that was a 20 yr old roof, they got me enough to cover the cost and a whole new roof and my premiums have not increased all that much maybe $15 a month from what it was before the claim?

 

[daraddg]

And forgot to mention the adjusters also arranged to have "their guy" come out and patch the roof to stop the leak while it took over a month to get the check from the insurance co, I didnt have to pay for the patch til I got my payout from homeowners.But when I had the roof done I found researched my own roofer to do the full job.

 

[Planogirl]

Whatever you do hire someone to take care of it.

DH tried to pull a big branch off the roof and it somehow flipped and landed on his head. Several stitches and staples in his head later, the branch was still out there in the yard and we had to hire someone anyway. DH was lucky - it could have been much worse.

 

[scrapquitler]

Its not enormous, but big enough. We can probably find a way to pull it down. And there doesn't *appear to be any damage to the roof, although we can't fully see all of it....

So what does one do in a case like this?

If we call the insurance company, what will they do .... cover the cost of someone coming out to pull down the tree and assess any damage?

Or should we pull it down (carefully!!) and see if there's damage, and then call only if there's damage?

Ya'll know everything so please give me your best advice.

TIA.

Let me tell you what happened when we had a tree hit the roof. Wind/ice storm here, tree split and one section of the tree fell. It damaged our house --it took out the electrical service pipe thing on the side of the house (which ripped a gutter down and damaged some shingles), damaged the gutter, killed a couple bushes, took out a section of split rail face and part of it landed in the street and on my neighbors car which was parked in the street. The town came and removed the portion of the tree that was in the road.

In the end, our insurance company paid to repair replace all the damage to our house and our property. They paid for removing the portion of the tree on the ground (it was deemed 'cleanup') but they would NOT pay for the removal of the rest of the tree (which was split) even though the arborist certified that the tree was going to die because of how it split. BTW, they also did not pay for the damage to the neighbors car (I didn't really understand the details of that, but they said if his car was parked on our property they would have paid for the damage. Ultimately I think his auto insurance took care of it). We ended up getting about $2000 from the insurance company to cover the damage, but we still had to pay $500 deductible and about $1500 to remove the rest of the tree. Our insurance didn't go up more than the normal yearly increase, maybe because it was the only claim we made in 15 years.

 

[mafibisha]

Thanks again everyone, for ALL of your replies.

So if we call a pro tree cutter guy instead of the insurance company, and the tree guy finds damage up there afterall, will it be too late to call the insurance company? I'm thinking not, but ya never know.....

Ack, its always something.

 

[mjkacmom]

I believe most insurance pays for damge, but not for tree removal. We've submitted one claim, for a broken walkway, during the one of many times huge trees have crashed in our yard.

And insurance only pays for damage on your property. If your tree falls on your neighbor's house, their insurance company pays, and they are actually responsible for the tree removal on their property. It can get a little dicey during a storm here, but most neighbors will do the right thing (even though they don't have to), and pay to remove their tree from their neighbor's property.

 

[Lilliputian]

Thanks again everyone, for ALL of your replies.

So if we call a pro tree cutter guy instead of the insurance company, and the tree guy finds damage up there afterall, will it be too late to call the insurance company? I'm thinking not, but ya never know.....

Ack, its always something.

No, that's the way you're supposed to do it. You call a professional out for an estimate, and if it's going to be enough to cover your deductible plus a significant amount of extra money, then you call your insurance company before having someone do the work.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

We had this happen on our first house. The tree branch was from one of our own trees.

I didn't know what to do so I called our insurance company and they said to leave it and they'll be out in 3 hours to check the damage.

They came when they said, told us there was damage to the roof and they would pay to replace that 1/2 of the roof (the branch covered a little under half of the roof long ways).

So we found a roofing company we liked, submitted the estimate to the insurance company. The insurance company paid for 1/2 and we covered the other half. The roof was nearly 18 years old anyway and needed to be replaced.

Oh and my husband went up on the roof with the claims adjuster and the 2 of them took the branch off the roof. I think that was unusual - I can't imagine a claims adjuster doing that normally. It wasn't a very tall pitched roof so it was easy to get on and off.

 

[QueenElinor]

If you decide to have it removed yourself, be absolutely sure you trust whomever is assessing whether there is roof damage- that kind of thing can be sneaky and water damage may not show up for months.

 

[ZachnElli]

You need to get an estimate for tree removal and an estimate from a respectable roofer. I wouldn't go by what any tree person said about the roof, you need someone who knows roofs. Also, find your policy or call your agent and find out what your deductible is and if tree removal is covered and specifically what tree removal is covered. Some companies cover it only if it is blocking access to your property, some have a set limit no matter where the tree fell, some don't cover it at all.

 

[a1tinkfans]

OP, please call your carrier. Better yet your agent, they are the experts when it comes to your coverage and if they need specifics they will speak directly to a claim rep. Importnat to know is that you are required to contact your carrier within a reasonable time frame per your policy, so dont delay as that can (tho rarely) impact your claim.
At worst, theyll tell you that its not covered or does not exceed your deductible, BUT at least youll be making an INformed Decision.

I had a similar situation during a storm. They were contacted quickly. They came out did a complete estimate, paid for everything, the tree removal including (the HUGE oak that was still part standing) which was at risk for further damage....the storm was awful....and we had other damage as well, what we also learned that since it was such a bad storm, the "claim" was NOT held against us,. no increase to our premium....and it was a costly claim.
So, once again, Ask for help, its why you get insurance....they may as well work for that money you pay them
Best of Luck...........
Oh, just want to mention...not all damage is easily seen, they are experts at that...