At Barts Tree Service, we are asked all the time about general liability of a tree falling as a result of a storm and who pays for damages and removing the tree. So I thought I would put up a direct excerpt from the Connecticut Insurance Department website that helps answer that question.
question: If my tree is blown over by the wind and damages my neighbor’s property, does my policy pay to fix the damage? What if the tree damages my house? What if the tree is blown over but no structure is damaged?
Answer: The policy does not automatically pay for the neighbor’s property. The neighbor should file a claim with his own insurer. If the owner of the tree is sued by his neighbor, the liability section of the homeowners policy will respond with defense coverage, and payment if the owner is found negligent. This is where the “Act of God” phrase applies. The tree owner is legally liable for the damage only if his negligence caused the tree to fall. Otherwise, it is an “Act of God” which would be covered under the neighbor’s Section I Property Coverage of the homeowners policy.If the tree falls on your own house, damage to the house is covered. The insurance policy covers the cost to remove the tree from the house. Generally, the cost to remove the tree from the premises is covered up to $500 so long as the tree damaged a covered structure
Contact Barts Tree Service at 203-240-1302 for any emergency tree removals or insurance quotes you might need.
Reference: Connecticut Insurance Department Website – Homeowners Storm Claims
