A Tree Fell on Your House: What to Do in the First Hour

It happens in Birmingham every spring and every fall: a storm comes through at night, there is a crack and a thump, and in the morning there is an oak on the roof. If it happens to you, here is what to do – in this order.

A tree resting on a roof is not finished moving. Limbs can shift, rafters that took the hit can give way, and rain coming in can bring down a ceiling. Get everyone, pets included, into another part of the house or out of it. Don’t go into the attic to “take a look”.

Trees bring power lines down with them more often than people expect, and a line lying in wet grass or tangled in branches can be live. If you see any wire on the ground or in the tree, keep everyone away and call Alabama Power. Don’t try to move branches off a line, and don’t let anyone else try.

Your insurance company will want to see the damage as it was. Take pictures from the street and the yard showing the whole tree and the house, then close-ups of the roof, the gutters, broken windows, the fence and anything in the yard that was hit. Inside, photograph ceilings, water stains and anything wet. Date-stamped photos on your phone are fine.

The tree has to come off before the roof can be fixed, and the sooner it does, the less water gets in. When you call a tree service, tell them what the tree is resting on, roughly how big it is and whether there is a hole in the roof. Then call your insurance company to open a claim. Most homeowners policies cover removing a tree that fell on the house or another covered structure, often up to a set limit; a tree that fell in the yard without hitting anything usually is not covered. Your adjuster has the final word.

A good crew takes the weight off the house carefully, from the top down, so the tree doesn’t do more damage on the way off. Big trees are often lifted off with a crane rather than dragged. Once the tree is off, the opening in the roof should be covered with a tarp until the roofer comes. Then the driveway and walkways are cleared, the rest is cut up and hauled away, and the yard is cleaned.

Ask for an itemized invoice and keep it with your photos – the insurance company will ask for both.

After big storms, out-of-town crews knock on doors, ask for cash up front and sometimes bring a “contractor” who wants you to sign over your insurance claim. Take your time. Use a local company you can look up, ask whether they are insured, and don’t sign anything that hands over your claim.

Most trees that fall on houses gave a warning first: a dead top, a crack in the trunk, a lean that got worse, mushrooms at the base. If you have a tree like that near the house, have it looked at while the weather is calm. If a tree is already on your house, call RJ Tree Service at (205) 871-3617 – day or night.