Does Homeowners Insurance Cover a Tree Falling on Your House?

If a tree falls on your house, it’s very important to know when your homeowners insurance will (and won't) cover the damage.
Written by Brady Klopfer
Reviewed by Carrie Adkins
Home insurance usually covers you if a tree falls on your house.
Having a home surrounded by trees is great most of the time. Trees can add beauty to any home, and make you feel both cozier and more secluded. But, trees can also cause damage. As long as a tree is standing, it’s almost always a welcome addition to any home. But as soon as it falls down, it’s a less happy sight.
Not only is a fallen tree a hassle to clean up, but it can cause a lot of damage to anything it lands on. Most notably, your home. So, what happens if a tree falls on your house? Does insurance cover it?
Luckily, you're usually covered. Here's a quick rundown, with a little help from
car insurance
comparison and broker app
Jerry
.
RECOMMENDED
Compare auto insurance policies
No spam or unwanted phone calls · No long forms
Find insurance savings

Does homeowners insurance cover a tree falling on your house?

Yes, homeowners insurance does protect you if a tree falls on your house. In general, your insurance policy will cover removal of the tree, as well as the cost to repair the damage sustained by your home.
However, a homeowners insurance plan will only cover a tree falling on your home under relatively common, unavoidable circumstances. These will be outlined specifically in your plan, and can vary from policy to policy, but usually include things like windstorms, snowstorms, rainstorms, and lightning. If those types of events cause a tree to fall on your home, your insurance should kick in.
MORE: Does home insurance cover trees falling onto your neighbor's house?

When does homeowners insurance not cover a tree falling on your house?

There are certain things that can cause a tree to fall on your home that aren’t covered by homeowners insurance. The most common is negligence. If a tree falls down and you’re responsible for it falling down, then you’re unlikely to be covered.
This could be a dead or rotting tree that you’ve failed to remove, or a tree that falls down because the soil was unstable from too much surrounding water. It could also include you accidentally felling a tree onto your home.
Usually, homeowners insurance also won’t cover damage from flooding or earthquakes, unless your policy specifically notes otherwise.
Let Jerry find your price in only 45 seconds
No spam · No long forms · No fees
Find insurance savings

What if the tree is on someone else’s property?

A common homeowners insurance question is what happens if a tree from someone else’s property falls on your home? In that case, it’s still up to your insurance to cover it. In these events, homeowners insurance covers damage sustained by your home, not damage caused by your property. So your insurance will cover that scenario; however, if your neighbor is negligent, then they will likely end up on the hook.

What if you have renters insurance?

Renters insurance only covers the valuable items in your home, not the home itself. So if the tree causes damage to your items, then your renters insurance will kick in. For instance, if a tree falls onto the house you’re renting and damages your art and TV, then your renters insurance will cover the damages.
Renters insurance does not cover any structural damage to your home. But don’t worry, that doesn’t mean you’re on the hook. It means that your landlord is responsible. All damages sustained by a falling tree to the structure of a house you’re renting are the responsibility of your landlord, and they should be able to use their homeowners insurance to have it covered.
A tree falling on your home is never a good time. But as long as it’s not your fault that it happened, you’ll be covered by insurance.
Key Takeaway If you have renters insurance, your landlord should take cover of things.

Getting the best home insurance

Any standard home insurance package will likely cover a tree falling on your house. However, you should still seek out the best package at the best rate. To save on home insurance, try bundling it with
car insurance
. For quick deals, look into using the
Jerry
app. A licensed broker, Jerry does all the hard work of finding cheap quotes from the top name-brand insurance companies and buying new car insurance. Jerry will even help you cancel your old policy.
And to ensure you always have the lowest rate, Jerry will send you new quotes every time your policy comes up for renewal, so you’re always getting the coverage you want at the best price.
RECOMMENDED
Haven’t shopped for insurance in the last six months? There might be hundreds $$$ in savings waiting for you.
avatar
Judith switched to Progressive
icon savingsSaved $725 annually
avatar
Alexander switched to Travelers
icon savingsSaved $834 annually
avatar
Annie switched to Nationwide
icon savingsSaved $668 annually
Are you overpaying for car insurance?
Compare quotes and find out in 45 seconds.
Try Jerry

Easiest way to compare and buy car insurance

√
No long forms
√
No spam or unwanted phone calls
√
Quotes from top insurance companies
Find insurance savings