Tree fell on our roof - need insurance advice

[KazooMan]

We had this huge tree fall on our roof on Friday (windstorm associated with thunderstorm). Crane will be coming on Wednesday to help remove the tree, and then the rebuilding will begin - big hole in the roof, some broken trusses, some water damage. We have taken a lot of pictures, and we had a roofer put a tarp over the tree and the hole to keep out more rain (this is the rainy season in Florida). The tree had root rot, which weakened it and that was an obvious contributing factor to the tree falling.

The insurance adjustor is coming Tuesday (tomorrow). What do I need to do to make sure we get a fair settlement? Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[zzzz]

I would think the obvious thing is to get several estimates of the repair costs so you know what is a fair settlement.

The "Insurance Information Institute" says:

"You are covered for the damage to your roof. You are also covered for the removal of the tree, generally up to a $500 limit."

 

[accuratehorn]

Does your tree have insurance?
Really, I don't think $500 goes very far when trying to cut up a large tree. It can cost more.

 

[nativeaustin]

If it was your tree that fell on your house, the tree itself had value. Not just money to haul it off.

 

[Horn9497]

We had this happen a few years ago but the damage wasn't as severe. It was a neighbor's tree with some evidence that they were negligent in maintaining it but our insurance company didn't prevail on that point (not sure they put much effort into it). Our damage was probably in the $20k range. We were out our deductible. Landscaping not covered. They covered the damage to our fence, roof, house, tree removal and a playscape we had. They didn't cover plants that were crushed, other trees that were crushed, etc. We took a lot of pictures but we focused nore on the details of the tree that fell. Our insurance co (USAA) just sent us a check as we sent them bills for the work we had done. They didn't object to cost and didn't hold us to any maximum for tree removal. Our tree removal was about $3500--it was a big oak and took several guys 2 full days to clear our house and the neighbor's yard.

 

[AustinTejasFan]

"You are also covered for the removal of the tree, generally up to a $500 limit."

Most of the better homeowners policies will cover the tree removal up to 10%-20% of the dwelling limit in this situation.

"Does your tree have insurance? "

You usually have coverage from a few hundred up to several thousands for damage to trees, plants, shrubs and lawns caused by certain perils, like fire, lightning, vandalism, vehicles, etc., except wind.

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

He is in Florida, not Texas. His policy may be quite different.

 

[AustinTejasFan]

I've seen some of the Fla policies, including for Citizen's P&C their residual market. Mostly ISO based, so not much difference in basic coverages from what's available in Tx now.