Does home insurance cover a tree falling on your house?
Short answer. Yes, in most homeowners policies damage to your house from a falling tree is covered, whether wind, lightning, ice or another sudden event brought it down. Insurers may push back when a tree was obviously dead or rotting and ignored for a long time, so the tree's condition and the cause of the fall matter.
Why it is usually covered
Falling objects are a standard covered cause of loss, and the dwelling portion of most homeowners policies covers sudden physical damage that is not specifically excluded. A tree crashing through the roof is the definition of sudden. The deductible that applies depends on the cause: a wind felled tree often triggers the wind and hail deductible, while other causes use the regular deductible.
Where disputes start
- Obvious neglect. A tree that had been dead for years, was hollow or leaning badly, and that the owner ignored after being warned.
- No storm. A tree that fell on a calm day from rot. The house damage is still often paid, but expect questions.
- Gradual damage. A limb resting on the roof for months, slowly cracking shingles, is treated differently from one that fell.
A neighbor's tree
Your own policy pays for your house no matter whose tree it was. If the neighbor knew or should have known the tree was dangerous, your insurer may recover its payment, and your deductible, from them.
Making the claim clean
- Photograph the tree, the break point and the stump. A clean wind snap looks different from a rotten base.
- Note the storm date and any weather reports.
- Keep the tree service and tarp invoices.
See emergency tarping and date of loss.