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Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Diseased Tree Removal?

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Your homeowners insurance is a safeguard from any unforeseen eventuality. But when you talk about a diseased tree, it can be considered an imminent issue that you, yourself, would have to deal with. The mere fact that it is diseased, means that it can, at any time, fall on your own house, your fence, or your neighbor’s property. The very nature of the danger it entails is quite predictable, and no insurer will explicitly take such a risk.

Trees make our surroundings undeniably more pleasant. Aside from the relaxing atmosphere they give us, they are literally a breath of fresh air. But while the benefits of having a tree within your yard are invaluable, the dangers of it falling on to your house, your car, or your neighbor’s house can be astounding as well.

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In normal circumstances, different insurance companies may or may not cover the removal of a standing or a fallen tree. The general rationale behind is that it is up to you to maintain its height or length of branches to the point that it will be safe for you and the people around. But in unwanted events, like tornadoes and hurricanes, an insurance company will have a different stance on covering the removal of a standing or a fallen tree.

Some providers will cover the removal of a healthy standing tree, while others will only cover its removal if it falls on to your house, or if it destroys your car or blocks your driveway. To others, if it falls within your yard and didn’t hit anything, removing it will be under your care. But if your tree, unfortunately, falls into your neighbor’s house, the cost of removing it can be taken by their own insurance with a certain level of liability from you. Check your policy to make sure what is and what is not included in your home insurance coverage.

But what about removing a diseased tree? Whether it is still standing, has fallen over your house, your car, or your neighbor will be a gray area that you wouldn’t want to go through. Negligence, maintenance, and accidents are divided by a thin red line that you certainly don’t want to cross. Your insurer will likely impose that it’s your responsibility to keep it healthy. And if it gets diseased, you should have known the perils that it can cause to you, your property, and your neighbors.

Insurance is generally a safeguard against the abrupt and unforeseen calamities. The possible dangers that can be caused by a diseased tree are somehow predictable. When a hurricane is coming, you very well know it can fall and cause damage. When you leave it rotting, you are aware that it can fall over a person or property. These possibilities are admittedly predictable. And being predictable takes away the element of being abrupt and unforeseen. When you have a tree in your yard, the responsibility of keeping it healthy falls on you. When you have a diseased tree, the dangers it can cause outweigh your troubles to get it removed.

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