My neighbor’s tree fell on my property. Who is responsible?

In California the default rule surprises most people: your own insurance covers damage on your property , even when the tree belonged to the neighbor. A healthy tree brought down by wind is treated as an act of nature, and each owner claims on their own policy. The exception is negligence. If the tree was visibly dead, diseased, or leaning, and the owner knew - especially if they had been notified in writing - liability can shift to them. That is why documentation decides these cases: Photograph the fallen tree and all damage before anything is moved Get the tree's condition professionally documented - decay, dead wood, and old defects are visible in the failed wood Notify both insurers and keep everything in writing Our certified arborist prepares condition assessments used in claims and neighbor disputes, and if you are worried about a neighbor's tree that has NOT fallen yet, a written notice backed by an arborist assessment is the step that protects you. Removal itself: we respond 24/7.

In California the default rule surprises most people: your own insurance covers damage on your property, even when the tree belonged to the neighbor. A healthy tree brought down by wind is treated as an act of nature, and each owner claims on their own policy.

The exception is negligence. If the tree was visibly dead, diseased, or leaning, and the owner knew – especially if they had been notified in writing – liability can shift to them. That is why documentation decides these cases:

Photograph the fallen tree and all damage before anything is moved
Get the tree’s condition professionally documented – decay, dead wood, and old defects are visible in the failed wood
Notify both insurers and keep everything in writing

Our certified arborist prepares condition assessments used in claims and neighbor disputes, and if you are worried about a neighbor’s tree that has NOT fallen yet, a written notice backed by an arborist assessment is the step that protects you. Removal itself: we respond 24/7.