Insurance would not pay out for the tree’s removal, despite police warning it was unsafe
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A tree threatening to fall into several homes in Lake Oswego is finally getting taken down.
Homeowners tried more than a dozen companies to take down the Douglas fir that’s leaning over the homes in the Mountain Park Neighborhood, finding little help from insurance.
The Ladd family was looking at tens of thousands of dollars because arborists were telling them they’d have to get a crane or even a helicopter to remove this tree. Despite Monday’s estimates that ranged from $30k-$100k, the Ladds were able to locate a family-run company out of Dundee who came in to do the work for under $10k.
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In a show of due diligence, the company was selected after the Ladds contacted 14 others. However, not a dime of the removal will come from insurance. How could this be?
The tree’s roots are coming up out of the ground, with police telling the people living under its branches it’s not safe for them to stay in their homes. Yet insurance says they will only pay for the removal if the tree completely falls and causes damage.
For some residents, the prospect of letting the tree do damage first just to afford its removal from an insurance payout seemed counter to preventing a bad outcome.
“Being told there’s nothing we can do even though we’re aware of this and some folks suggesting the best option is to just let it fall. It’s been very frustrating,” said Jim Ladd, whose backyard had the leaning tree at issue.
What’s more, this is one of several leaning trees that can be seen in the neighborhood and around the Portland metro area. So is there a sensible approach to situations like this?
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Oregon’s insurance commissioner says insurers do not cover anything that is preventive. However, if homeowners or renters are showing that they are calling companies and working to address the issue, that’s a way to protect themselves from paying out of pocket if a tree comes down.
“It has us wondering what’s the value of our insurance and when can we count on them? We’re going to be perhaps looking around after this,” Jim said.
Stephanie Ladd, Jim’s wife, added that she has a lot of sympathy for others who are in similar situations but may not have found a straightforward solution as they did.
“I know a lot of people have not gotten the chance to keep the tree from falling so just take care of each other and look out for each other.”
Veronica Santana, with Azteca Tree Service, speculated about why it was so hard to find a tree removal company that would agree to the job.
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“There’s a lot of jobs out there that are easier out there for them right now so maybe they felt it was going to take too much time for them and they wanted to take advantage of everything else that has been going on.”
Veronica’s husband climbed up the tree to take it down chunk by chunk. It’s her, her husband and some other family members who run the company. They say they’ve been busy the last week or so.
For help with insurance questions, visit Oregon’s Division of Financial Regulation site. Insurance experts are also available to speak over the phone at 888-877-4894 (toll-free).
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https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/lake-oswego-neighbors-find-solution-to-partially-uprooted-tree-threat/
