Will Your Georgia Home Insurance Pay To Remove Trees From Your Property?

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At the Roberts Insurance Group, we insure hundreds of homes all over the state of Georgia. While serving so many homeowners throughout the state, we've been asked all kinds of questions as it pertains to home insurance. One common question is: Will home insurance pay to remove a tree from my property that could fall and cause more damage?

To many homeowners' surprise, the answer to this question is NO. This is true with every home insurance company. 

But why?

Many homeowners often argue that, if the tree does not get removed it will end up causing more damage that the insurance company will have to pay for. The answer that insurance companies have for this is: because there has been no loss. 

In order for home insurance coverage to apply, there has to be a loss. Something has to happen. An easy rule of thumb to know whether or not something would be covered is "sudden and accidental" loss. Has there been a loss? Was the loss or cause of loss sudden and accidental? If the answers to these questions are "yes" and "yes", then there's definitely potential for coverage (note that this "rule of thumb" is not exact and will not definitively determine whether or not there is coverage for a loss under your homeowners policy).

So, for the example given, the tree would actually have to fall and damage something in order for coverage to apply. If a tree suddenly and accidentally falls and damages something, your homeowners policy should provide coverage for the damage to your property (subject to a deductible) and there would also be coverage to remove the fallen tree from your property. 

What Options Do Homeowners Have For A Tree That Needs To Be Removed?

The only real option for Georgia homeowners would be to pay to have the tree removed out of pocket. Tree removal (before a loss) falls into the category of homeowner maintenance similar to old roofs or old and worn out siding. If your roof is old and needs to be replaced but there's not storm damage, the insurance company will not pay to replace it. Again, there has to be a sudden and accidental cause of loss, like a storm or weather event, in order to coverage to apply. 

Here at the Roberts Insurance Group, we help homeowners throughout Georgia protect their homes and properties and would love the opportunity to help you too!

​Give us a call at 678-250-8133 or click below to see how we can help.

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