How do you file a property damage claim for your home?

First party or third party?

• Your own policy (first party): storms, hail, wind, fire and falling trees in a storm. You pay your deductible and deal with your own insurer.
• Someone else's insurance (third party): a car that hits your house, a contractor who damages your roof, or a neighbor's tree that falls when the neighbor knew it was dead. You must generally show they were at fault.

Using your own policy is usually faster. Your insurer can then try to recover its payment and your deductible from the responsible party, a process called subrogation.

Steps for any property damage claim

1. Make the home safe and prevent further damage, such as a tarp over a roof opening. Keep receipts.
2. Photograph everything before cleanup, including the cause: the fallen tree, the vehicle, the storm debris.
3. For vehicles or vandalism, get a police report number.
4. Report the claim promptly with the date of loss and a short description.
5. Get a contractor's inspection and itemized estimate.
6. Meet the adjuster, review the estimate, and submit supplements for anything missed.

Trees are the common gray area

If a healthy tree falls on your house in a storm, your own policy usually responds regardless of whose yard it grew in. If the tree was obviously dead and the owner was warned, their liability coverage may be involved. For the full roof process, read how to file a roof insurance claim.