SALISBURY, N.C. — A man says a tree fell on his house causing significant damage, but he did not have insurance. Now, he wants to make sure you don’t make the same mistake.
The man asked not to show his face or use his name. He says he’s owned a house in Salisbury for decades and that it was paid off. But he says he let the homeowner’s insurance lapse.
“I tried calling different people around. Nobody. I never could get nothing done,” he said. “It was just a headache.”
He says months later a tree fell and nearly destroyed his house. “I heard that boom. I looked up and that stuff was coming down,” he told Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke.
He’s not sure what to do about it. He says it was his neighbor’s tree so maybe he could take legal action, but he doesn’t want to. Instead, he asked various charities for help but he said he didn’t qualify for that. Now, he’s taking his sister’s advice: “Ain’t nothing you can do. Put it in God’s hands. Let God take care of it.”
The man says he had some money saved, so he bought another house instead of fixing the one that was damaged. “I didn’t want to buy it, but I need a place to stay,” he said. “Thank God I got somewhere to stay.”
Stoogenke says homeowner’s insurance can be pricey, but your home is probably your biggest investment so you should protect it. Don’t go without insurance. In fact, if you have a mortgage, your lender probably requires you to have it. He also suggests you shop around, see if bundling helps, and ask about discounts.
This also raises another consumer issue Stoogenke likes to make sure you’re informed about: tree damage.
- If ‘your’ tree falls on ‘your’ property: use ‘your’ insurance.
- If your neighbor’s tree falls on your property: still use ‘your’ insurance. That’s where people tend to get confused.
- But one footnote: if your neighbor knew or should have known the tree was likely to fall, your insurance may go after his/her insurance. Or, if that doesn’t happen, you may consider legal action against that person yourself.
Two lessons to remember:
- It’s your job to maintain your trees.
- If you’re worried about your neighbor’s tree, ask him/her to address it before it’s too late (preferably in writing).
One more note:
- If the tree fell on your house: use your homeowner’s insurance.
- If it fell on your car: use your auto policy. But you need “comprehensive” coverage for that.
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