I posted in the flame-free Finance Thread last night - and while only a short time later - time is of the essence on this matter, so I need a little help if anyone can provide some knowledge...

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Could use a little homeowner's insurance help, if anyone has any specialized knowledge - here's what happened:

1. Couple months ago, had a major storm in the area - knocked a large portion of a tree onto my roof. Thankfully the trunk didn't fall - it laid down almost - the trunk happened to be at nearly the same height as the roof.

2. Had the trunk removed (cost approx $450). I didn't call my insurance company because it didn't seem to be worth starting a claim, let alone making a claim. The company removing the tree said that there was no real damage from what they could tell, but I might want to have it checked out. I looked at the roof and the surrounding area, and while not a roofer myself, I felt like everything looked sound.

3. Tonight - another major storm - and believe it or not - the other major trunk of the tree falls onto the same area of the house as the limb mentioned in ¶1. We noticed a little water come in through our (very) old windows on the side of the house that the trunk fell upon. I'm talking minimal water, but still, water. Also, the water may have come in because of the massive amount of wind pushing it through cracks it typically does not flow through (that is, the water was blown up the side of the window).

4. I have a $1,000 deductible on my homeowners insurance. I am assuming it will cost a little more to remove this piece than the last trunk because it is bigger, and because the whole tree needs to be removed now. Ballpark - $750-1,000. There may be structural damage as evidenced by the water leakage, or, the water may be indicative of nothing at all. The shingles on the roof may need some repair as well.

My question: At this point, with two large trunks having fallen on the same spot on my roof, with the increase cost of removing the tree, and the new-found water leakage - should I let go of my reservation to call the insurance company only when catastrophe strikes (in other words, something much worse than this)?

Other info that may be pertinent: I've never made or initiated a claim to my insurance company - or any insurance company for that matter.

Any information would be helpful. If there is a particular thread that someone is familiar with that may be useful - I'd greatly appreciate a link. I searched for something relevant, but had trouble finding anything.

Thanks everyone.

So what do you estimate the total cost of the repair will be? You said up to $1000 to remove the tree, but what about the roof and window? Couple hundred?

If your deductible is $1000 and total cost to you (if you do shingles yourself) is only $1200 or so, I'd just do it myself without the insurance, but if its going to be $3500, then you'd have a tougher decision.

Its ultimately going to be up to you to decide, but personally, my rule of thumb, if I can do it myself and keep the insurance out of it... I will.

See if you can find an honest contractor and have them do an inspection. There could be damage to your roof that doesn't show from the outside. It may be that your windows just need to be re-caulked.

good luck!

A few years ago a major ice storm hit our area. We had a 119 year old (we counted the rings!) fir tree within 10 feet of the side of our house. The tree and its branches (and everything else) were covered with an inch of ice. The next morning, there were 19 or so holes in our roof from the ice-laden, heavy branches acting like missles going through the shingles, roof, etc; four of the branches also sailed through the attic and into our daughter's bedroom ceiling. We and a few volunteer neighbors, cleared the branches, covered the roof with a tarp, cleaned up the area and called the insurance company.
To make a long story short, the insurance company was wonderful. All was repaired to our satisfaction with a roofer and contractor we wanted for around $4k. We too had never had a prior claim. We saw no rate increase. The bonus was that as part of our deductible, they counted the hours that we and the neighbors put into cleaning and making temporary repairs. The insurance company wouldn't pay to have the tree taken down completely but we felt we came out ahead, especially with no rate increase.

I would certainly disagree with such a blanket statement. Insurance companies love to cancel people after they make a claim on their home owners insurance or send their rates through the roof.

Only claim when the monetary incentive to you out weighs the potential for the above hassles (as previous posters have mentioned).

BlueEyesAustinTexas said:Claim it.
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Last fall my parents had a tremendous windstorm come through which knocked two trees onto their roof. The only damage they suffered was one branch punctured the roof and the ceiling in their bedroom, and a roof vent was crushed.

The insurance company (Allstate, I believe) paid for the removal of both trees, repairing a large section of roof around the damaged area, replacing a large area of attic insulation that was damp from the punctures, replacing a large section of drywall in their bedroom ceiling, and cleaning up all the small debris the storm scattered around the yard. In addition, the insurance company simply estimated typical repair costs for all of this and sent them a check. As they were able to have some of the repairs done for cheaper, I believe they actually came out ahead even considering the $1000 deductible.

Also, I don't know where you are located, but I have an aunt and uncle in northern Indiana who had a number of large trees uprooted by a tornado. There are local Amish families, and some offered to come, cut up, and remove the downed trees at no cost in exchange for getting to keep the wood.

In my honest option from being in the trade a while back would be for you to find a decent contractor, and go from there. I've seen cases where major repair had to be done and some with no real damaged but a few shingles having to be replaced.

Good luck!

I saw an article sometime in the past year that discussed the answer to your question. In most cases they recommend that you file the claim. The big exceptions were anything that could cause water damage (e.g. tree hits roof or frozen water pipe). The insurance companies are paranoid about claims for mold (which may occur after water damage). If you do a google search on "clue report" you will find some material relevant to your situation.

Thank you all once again for your help.

Quick update:

I called my insurer and they had a preferred contractor come out to check out the tree. He looked over the tree and thought it best to have it removed by an outside vendor first. Thereafter, I could inspect the roof myself and see what, if any, damage may have occurred (punctures, etc.). He said the fall wasn't all that bad - and that it appeared that no compression had occurred. He thought the window leakage was likely a combination of the strength of the storm and the age of the windows.

He essentially said that it wasn't worth going through his company (and filing a claim with my insurance company) if all that was required was tree removal. And, I could apply the cost of the tree removal with an outside vendor towards the deductible.

I'm going to get the tree removed and check out my roof. If there is an issue, I'll likely go back and follow up with a claim to my insurance company and apply the tree removal towards my deductible.

I feel like I got very lucky with a contractor who was relatively honest with me about the situation.

Thanks again to everyone for their contribution - I do appreciate it! I'll update the thread if I gain any further insight to share.

barbwire said:
This incident will now be in your clue report even if you do not make a claim.

True. In fact, this is one of the big reasons I posted on here - to find out if anyone had some good advice re: this issue.

No big loss in the end, I don't think. My overall mindset is to use insurance for only the big problems as it is - so (knock on wood) I don't believe I will be calling them again unless catastrophe strikes.