Falling trees from taking them down

[HeyBub]

Why are you contemplating this project?

Leave the trees alone if they're not bothering anybody.

[John Grabowski]

At least liability insurance and property damage. If he has employees he should have workman's comp as well. Just ask him to have his insurance agent send you an insurance certificate made out to the property owner and property address before he proceeds. This is a reasonable request of anyone doing work for you. You should also check with the town to see if any type of permit is required.

Anything can happen if a tree falls on someone else's property. Some neighbors will immediately call a lawyer and sue your tush. Others may settle over a few cans of beer. If a human gets hurt your life will never be the same. The polite thing to do would be to alert your neighbors concerning the loud chainsaw they will be hearing for several hours or days.

[Terry]

What kind of insurance is available for having trees cut down?

I have a house that I inherited from my parents. I have been renting it for over 10 years with no insurance. No one is currently living in the house but we may let my niece move in.

It is in a place that is going commercial, so the land is worth more without the house than with the small house.

There are pine trees that are at least 50 year old and very high.

I have a guy that says he will climb the trees and cut them for free just for the wood.

I plan to ask if he has insurance, but have not yet. If it turns out that he has no insurance what happens if a tree falls on neighbors property?

[Terry]

Because it is in Georgia and it is tornado time. I wouldn't want to live under those tall trees and I don't expect my niece to either.

I have never heard of someone getting home owners insurance for a few days, but that is what I need.

[Una]

Contract with a tree removal company to take the tree down. Deal only with a tree removal company that has insurance. Some people recommend you require the company to *show you* a policy they have obtained from their liability insurance company covering their work on your property.

After the tree is down, maybe let your guy harvest it for firewood.

Una

[Pam]

Hi, The man in question is a sheriff, I will ask him today about all these concerns but I am sure he has himself insured, he does this as a side job so I am sure he knows the laws and libility in the town. He has already talked to me about the neighbors, because the trees are on the line they did not want to share in the expence of having them removed it is a reality company. So I have found someone in an add in the paper who cuts timber for the price he will get for the timber. Thanks, Pam Terry's sister

[hallerb]

home with no homeowners insurance thats about to be occupied again.......

lets say a visitor sales guy selling replacement windows trips on the homes sidewalk and gets hurt. he can sue you for mega bucks, and since you say the property is more valuable as commercial land the victim can end up owning your property..........

get homeowners, to protecyt the owners

[Jeff]

[Not]

Insurance varies from state to state, and usenet is never a reliable source for information on this subject, so you should talk to an insurance agent.

I suspect you cannot get homeowners insurance on this property for two reasons:

1. It is not occupied and a common feature of homeowner policies is that they require the property to be occupied, other than for short times, such as when you take a vacation.
2. Homeowners insurance is sold to people who own and live in the property. That ain't you. If you are renting the property, or letting someone else use it, you need the type of insurance landlords get.

As to your question, if you let the man cut the wood, and he doesn't have suited insurance, anyone who suffers injury or damage would sue both of you, and if he doesn't have insurance, he probably doesn't have much to pay a judgment, so you end up holding the whole stick, which means they can go after all your assets, not just the property you mention.

I'm not pimp> What kind of insurance is available for having trees cut down?

[hallerb]

y, or letting

you can get landlord insurance, it covers the structure and liability if someone gets hurt.

doesnt cover the contents. but with a family member moving in its a gray area insurance wise.

homeowners is likely cheaper than landlord plus tenant insurance, best to ask a agent

[DerbyDad03]

re: Because it is in Georgia and it is tornado time. I wouldn't want to live under those tall trees and I don't expect my niece to either

But you had no problem letting the renters live under those tall trees for 10 years? Nice!

[Bill]

Cutting down trees is one of the most dangerous occupations there is!

Climbing the tree to "top it" or cut it down is even more dangerous, although this can safely be done by tree professionals who have the proper training, equipment, personal protective equipment (PPE), and assistance on the ground from trained helpers.

A professional who can do this safely is called a "certified arborist". They work for tree businesses which have all the right training and equipment plus tons of insurance.

The safest way to do this is with a large "bucket truck". With this truck, you can get *above* and *away* from a branch you are going to cut high up on the tree. When it falls, it will fall away from you. Additionally when these trees are near homes, long ropes are tied to each branch being cut and each branch is safely lowered to the ground insuring no damage to nearby property.

So far as the sheriff, I would not expect such a person to be properly trained in such matters nor would I expect such a person to have much knowledge of civil law, liability, worker injuries, etc. I would expect such a person to have extensive knowledge of criminal law which is another matter.

And how would you feel if a person working up in your tree was injured or killed doing this work for you? Might want to protect such persons from themselves unless they have been trained to do this work...

Man Killed While Trimming Tree...

Tree Injuries and Fatalities... Chain Saw Injury Statistics... Chainsaw accidents...

[hallerb]

dont panic, my neighbor has climbed tons of trees, and a expert at it. drops trees exactly where they need to go.

if everyone who did anything was required to have insurance costs would skyrocket.

heck a handyman doing some plumbing could do a lot of damage

or just hanging a picture anyone could hit a power line or water line and cause a disaster.

i would be more concerned with a stranger getting hurt by accident on your property and suing .......... its a bigger risk

[mm]

I would never assume someone is insured just because he's a sheriff. Get whatever they say is proof.

Familiarity breeds contempt. For some people, they think they won;'t make mistakes and don't need insurance. I tend to be like that, but I don't do physical work for other people. Or they think they kno;w the ins and outs of insurance, and don't need it.

[trader4]

I agree with hallerb that the owner of the property needs a policy on the property without regard to the tree cutting issue. Say some old lady comes over to visit your relative who is the tenant. She trips on a step that is broken, etc. and winds up with $50K in hospital bills or worse. With insurance, as the landlord, you are covered.

Tree cutting down question is a tougher call. One definite show stopper would be if there is any potential for any damage to be done to anything significant on the neighbors property. For example, if a tree limb could fall on the neighbors house, as opposed to just an empty grass yard, that would be a show stopper for me.

If I were going to allow someone to do this, at the very least I'd do

3 things:

1 - Get permanent insurance in place.

2 - Consult with a lawyer for an opinion and at the very least have the indicidual who is the tree cutter sign a waiver form that he has no employees, is doing it himself with no pay in return for the wood, he waives all rights to hold you responsible for any injuries or damages, etc.

3 - Since it was stated that some of the trees are shared trees on a property line, unless I knew that party very well, I'd get a written OK from them that it's OK to take the trees out. You don't want the scenario where you go next door, talk to someone who says they are the owner and verbally OK it, only to find out that in reality their ex- wife owns it, knew nothing about it, and comes after you, etc.