A tree hit your roof. Now what?
In the Pine Belt, trees cause as much roof damage as wind itself. Here's how the insurance question actually sorts out — and what to do in the first hour.
Pine trees and hurricane-season wind are a bad combination, and it's one of the most common calls we get after a storm. The question everyone asks first is whose insurance pays — and the answer surprises most people.
The first hour matters more than the paperwork
Before you worry about the claim
- People first. Get everyone out from under the damaged area. If the tree hit a corner of the house, treat the ceiling below it as unsafe until someone qualified looks at it.
- Assume every downed line is live. Trees bring wires down with them. Do not approach the tree if lines are involved — call the power company.
- Photograph everything before anything moves. Wide shots showing the tree and the house together, then closer shots of the roof damage and any interior water. Once a tree service cuts that trunk up, the evidence of what happened is gone.
- Stop the water. If it's raining into the house, a professional tarp is the priority — insurers expect reasonable mitigation, and the damage compounds fast. Keep the invoice; it goes in the claim file.
Whose tree was it? (It usually doesn't matter.)
Here's the part people find counterintuitive: in most cases, if a tree hits your house, you file on your own homeowners policy — even if the tree grew in your neighbor's yard. Property insurance generally follows the property that was damaged, not the property the tree came from. Your insurer pays to repair your roof, and if they believe someone else was legally at fault, they may pursue that themselves through subrogation.
The exception is negligence. If the tree was visibly dead or dying, the neighbor knew about it, and it was documented that they knew — a written notice, for example — their liability coverage can come into play. That's a much harder, slower path, and it hinges on proof that existed before the tree fell.
We're roofers, not adjusters or attorneys, so treat this as orientation rather than advice on your specific policy. What we can tell you is what we see: the fastest path to a repaired roof is almost always your own carrier.
What your policy is likely to cover
- The structural repair — the roof system itself, decking, rafters or trusses, and the interior damage from water that came in through the opening.
- Removal of the tree, but often only the portion that's on the structure, and typically up to a capped amount. The rest of the trunk lying in your yard is frequently your cost.
- Reasonable emergency mitigation like tarping — which is why the invoice matters.
- Additional living expenses if the home genuinely isn't habitable, on many policies.
Two things to find in your declarations page before you call: your deductible type (many Mississippi policies carry a separate wind/hail deductible calculated as a percentage of dwelling coverage, not a flat dollar figure) and whether you have replacement-cost or actual-cash-value coverage. Those two lines determine what you actually receive.
Where we come in
About half our work is insurance restoration. On a tree strike we document the damage the way a claim file needs it, meet your adjuster on the roof so nothing in the scope gets missed, and build to what's approved. What we won't do is promise your claim will be approved — that decision belongs to your insurer under your policy — or offer to cover your deductible, which is fraud no matter how casually it's offered.
Tree on the roof right now?
Emergency tarping and documented storm inspections are the front end of our storm response, and our line is open 24/7.
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Quick answers
My neighbor's tree fell on my house. Do they pay?
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What if the damage is less than my deductible?
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