Should an emergency event strike your home, you would probably want to know right away if your homeowners’ insurance covers your needs. For instance, if a tree on your property falls during a storm, does your insurance cover its removal cost? The answer depends on several factors: the exact cause of the fall, the damage it created, the type of storm that struck, and more. Check the details of your insurance and contact Timber Works Tree Care for emergency tree removal services in Haymarket, VA.
Timber Works provides a variety of services throughout the region, including tree removal, trimming, land clearing, stump grinding, forestry mulching, and more. We take pride in offering excellent customer service as well as technical expertise in tree care. Moreover, our team is covered by both Workers’ Compensation and liability insurance to protect our customers from workplace accidents culpability. Contact us today to learn more and receive a free project estimate!
Below, we outline the instances—and exceptions—wherein homeowners’ insurance covers emergency tree services:
How Homeowners’ Insurance Works
The basis for homeowners’ policy coverage lies in what insurance providers call named perils, that is, events that can damage homes. While policies may differ in a few of their listed perils, most share events such as:
- Fire, smoke, and explosions
- Lightning and wind from storms
- Damage from the weight of snow and ice
- Falling objects
- Damage from cars/aircraft
- Theft
- Vandalism
- Riots or civil unrest
Coverage options differ depending on a structure’s location. For instance, homes in the Midwest’s Tornado Alley will include coverage for extreme gusts and twisters.
Homeowners’ policies protect certain things that, collectively, people think of as “home.” These include a house’s structure, residents’ personal belongings (up to the policy’s limits), living expenses if a peril displaces residents from their home, and liability coverage for bodily or property damage.
When Homeowners’ Insurance Covers Tree Removal
With the details of homeowners’ insurance in mind, we can ask whether its coverage extends to tree removal. The short answer is yes: if a tree falls on your home due to one of your policy’s named perils, your insurance will cover the cost of its removal.
This coverage comes with caveats, however. For instance, if a tree located far from your home—but still on your property—falls, its removal may not be covered. Although it sounds trifling, this scenario could be a sticking point if the fallen tree blocks your driveway. So, when you need emergency tree removal, contact Timber Works and we’ll see how we can help.
When Insurance May Not Cover Tree Removal
In addition to named coverages, you should take careful note of when your homeowners’ policy does not cover tree removal. Doing so may require reading between your policy’s lines, but you can speak with an insurance company representative for clarification.
As you might expect, your policy will not cover extreme weather events that are not listed as named perils. Most regular HO-3 homeowners’ policies, for instance—the most common type of policy—do not cover earthquake or flood damage. If you live in a flood plain, you should look into a flood policy or a rider on your homeowners’ policy for further coverage of storm damage tree removal.
Additionally, your insurance won’t cover removal for trees that fall due to rot and disease. Plus, if a rotten tree falls during a named peril and the insurance adjuster concludes its rot caused the fall, your policy won’t cover the cost of removal. Finally, insurers tend to limit coverage for tree removal costs at 5% of your structure’s insurance amount.
Get Emergency Tree Removal in Haymarket, VA, Today!
By investigating your homeowners’ insurance policy now, you can determine its limits and coverages before you need its support. Should a tree fall on your property during a storm, turn to Timber Works Tree Care for emergency tree removal services. We offer comprehensive tree care options—including tree trimming, stump grinding, forestry mulching, and more—throughout Haymarket, VA. Moreover, we cover our team with Workers’ Compensation and liability insurance to help protect our clients. To learn more, call us at (540) 692-9606 or fill out our online form for a free project estimate!
