Sometimes, when disaster strikes your home, the source comes right from your own neighbor. While you can’t always anticipate when these things will happen, you can at least be prepared for them ahead of time with the right coverage. So what happens if your neighbor’s tree falls onto your home? Who’s responsible for this mess, anyway?

Fortunately a South Carolina independent insurance agent can not only answer this question for you, but also help you get set up with the right homeowners insurance. They know just which type of protection you need, and they’ll make sure you’re covered long before you ever have to file a claim. But first, here’s how home insurance would protect you in this scenario.

What Does Homeowners Insurance Cover in South Carolina?

In South Carolina, homeowners insurance provides key protection for several elements of the home. Common protections included in standard homeowners policies are as follows:

• Dwelling and contents coverage: As separate sections of property insurance, this coverage protects the structure of your home and your stuff (like silverware, furniture, etc.) from numerous perils, including fire and theft.
• Liability coverage: Legal costs, including attorney and court fees, are covered if you get sued by a third party for claims of bodily injury or property damage under liability insurance.
• Additional living expenses coverage: Hotel stays, restaurant takeout, gas costs and more are covered by additional living expenses if your home becomes temporarily uninhabitable due to a covered peril. Costs are covered while you stay elsewhere awaiting repairs.

Your South Carolina independent insurance agent can detail even more important protections provided by homeowners insurance.

What Doesn’t Homeowners Insurance Cover in South Carolina?

Homeowners insurance, like all other types of coverage, comes with its own set of exclusions. While your policy needs to be reviewed with the help of your South Carolina independent insurance agent, common exclusions under home insurance are:

To protect your South Carolina home from flood damage, since the state is especially prone to hurricanes and other wet disasters, you’ll want to seriously consider adding a separate flood insurance policy. Your South Carolina independent insurance agent can help you get set up with this coverage and others to fill the gaps left by your homeowners insurance.

Biggest Risks to Homeowners in South Carolina

When shopping for homeowners insurance, it’s handy to know the most common threats to homeowners in your area. Check out a list of the biggest risks to homeowners in South Carolina, and keep these in mind before calling up your agent.

Top 5 risks for homeowners in South Carolina

1. Hurricanes and tropical storms
2. Ice storms and freezing
3. Burglary and other property crimes
4. Wildfires and residential fires
5. Flooding and water damage

A South Carolina independent insurance agent can help you get equipped with the right homeowners insurance to guard against these common threats and more.

Who’s Responsible If My Neighbor’s Tree Falls onto My Home?

Really, it could be the fault of Mother Nature, if the tree fell due to old age, an earthquake, a windstorm, or another natural disaster. According to insurance expert Paul Martin, storms are considered either acts of nature or “acts of God” by insurance companies, so your neighbor wouldn’t be deemed negligent in such a scenario.

However, if your neighbor was actually neglecting his duties as a responsible homeowner by ignoring a precarious situation with the tree, he could be held responsible. If a tree had been leaning or was known to be rotted, it would be his responsibility to have it removed or otherwise mitigate the risk of it falling.

Am I Responsible for Covering Any Damage Caused by My Neighbor’s Tree?

More than likely you would go through your homeowners insurance policy to cover the damage. However, your neighbor’s policy would usually also cover it. But yes, you’d want to file a claim through your own insurance to cover the damage to your home. Out of your own pocket, you’d only be responsible for paying up to the amount of your policy’s deductible. After that, the expenses would be paid up to your policy’s limit on property coverage.

Will My Rates Be Affected Even Though I’m Not Responsible for the Incident?

Home insurance companies don’t typically punish homeowners for a single incident such as this, especially if it wasn’t actually their fault. That being said, if filing this type of claim became a trend on your part, your home insurance company could decide to hike your premiums, or more likely just decide to not to renew your policy entirely after its coverage period expired. Your South Carolina independent insurance agent can provide you with more details.

Here’s How a South Carolina Independent Insurance Agent Can Help

When it comes to protecting you when a neighbor’s tree falls on your home and all other bizarre incidents, no one’s better equipped to help than a South Carolina independent insurance agent. Independent insurance agents search through multiple carriers to find providers who specialize in homeowners insurance, deliver quotes from a number of different sources, and help you walk through them all to find the best blend of coverage and cost.