Bol

Thankfully it was only the shed. Please let us know how it turns out. Each one of my neighbors have huge almost dead trees in their front yards. I keep asking them to deal with the trees and they refuse. Everytime there is a high wind, branches come down. If either tree came down it would take out my whole house.

i can tell you both from past experience working in subrogation insurance collections, that insurance companies will find every excuse in the book to not pay out for the damage. They will say something like "the tree didnt get proper maintenance" and you will have to pay out of pocket....or get a lawyer.....wind damage is iffy at best, act of nature and so forth...get pictures of the trees now and perhaps a video of them when they are in a little wind storm just to prove the condition of trees now....a bit of a pain, but it will save you in the long run...i was one of those guys that looked for this stuff, so i am aware of the games.....Ps...i no longer work there....lol

I went through something similar. See if your neighbours step up to the plate...but as the $$$ grow, the lack of "stepping up" goes with it.

sabasco is right. document everything. lots of photos, get photos esp. of the where it broke on the tree, etc. which can show the condition of the tree. Photos of the damage, etc. If you are willing to spend a little $$$, you can hire a certified arborist to inspect the tree and damage and get them to write a report for around a hundred bucks. Make sure they have an ISA # though. (Thats what mine cost.) While your insurance company should be working it out...there is caselaw ad nasuem on issues like this and should you have to goto small claims it maybe worth a look at canlii or other free sites to see where you stand... and he with the best documentation wins. Of course..you have to know who owns the tree and where the property line is.

Your local township or city office should have the legal survey on file to confirm where the property lines are. Though your responsible for any overhanging branches on your side of the property, whomever owns the tree has an obligation to keep the tree in healthy/safe condition or have it removed. Here's hoping they have something on file...an OLS to confirm this information would be pricey.. (Ontario Land Surveyor) perhaps more than the cost to replace a small shed.

On a totally different matter..In my last house, we had several tall old trees on the property that were close to neighbours property and houses. I would have an arborist come in every few years to inspect them and give me a written report. Any deficient items were corrected. This due diligence is a great tool in protecting yourself too.

So insurance companies are A_ _ Holes no matter what country they are from.

sbasacco - good to hear you have come back to us from the dark side.

We deal with Meloche Monnex. They've been awesome the few times we've ever had to deal with em...

I don't think all insurance co. are inherently evil. But ya...there are reports of shady dealings all the time. I believe it was Marketplace that did that program on travel insurance for seniors...made me angry...

So insurance companies are A_ _ Holes no matter what country they are from.

sbasacco - good to hear you have come back to us from the dark side.

Ya its been a tough road....lol....thanks FNQ'er...ya made my day!!

Thankfully it was only the shed. Please let us know how it turns out. Each one of my neighbors have huge almost dead trees in their front yards. I keep asking them to deal with the trees and they refuse. Everytime there is a high wind, branches come down. If either tree came down it would take out my whole house.

Call the township or city and tell them about it. They are usually on top of those things. Also, if you know who their insurance company is then report it to them too. They will force them to cut the dead trees down. I know from experience. An insurance agent came to a cottage I owned years ago after I put on an addition and they made me cut down three trees before they would insure it. And the trees weren't even dead!

They wouldn't dare do that down-under!!
They would incure the wrath of the dreaded Greenies Party.
This lot want to ban all human animal interction - racing/ciccuses zoos etc.
And common sense things like burn offs to reduce bushfire risks and tree removal on your property unless they are growing where your foundations are set top go.