A Tree Came Down on the House
The first question everyone asks is whose tree it was. That is usually the least important question, and asking it first costs people time they do not have.
Florida property insurance claims: the deadlines and the fee cap
- Notice of a claim
- Under Fla. Stat. §627.70132, a property insurance claim or reopened claim is barred unless notice was given to the insurer within 1 year after the date of loss. A supplemental claim is barred unless notice was given within 18 months after the date of loss. — Fla. Stat. §627.70132(2)
- Time to bring a court action
- An action for breach of a property insurance contract must be brought within 5 years, running from the date of loss. This is a separate clock from the notice deadline, and §627.70132(5) states that the notice statute does not affect it. — Fla. Stat. §95.11(2)(e)
- What a public adjuster may charge
- A public adjuster’s compensation is capped at 20 percent of the amount of insurance claim payments or settlements, exclusive of attorney fees and costs, paid to the insured by the insurer. For claims based on events that are the subject of a declaration of a state of emergency by the Governor the cap is 10 percent, and that limit applies to claims made during the year after the declaration of emergency. — Fla. Stat. §626.854(11)(b)
- Which deadline applies to you
- Which of these applies to your claim depends on your policy and your date of loss.
Public Loss Adjusters, LLC — Robert Mack, Florida public adjuster, Lic. #A161638. The review is free and carries no obligation. Call 352-353-4556.
Robert Mack — Public Loss Adjusters, LLC
Florida Public Adjuster License #A161638 · SPPA · AIC · AIC-M · CCC
How much time is left on your claim?
Florida law puts clocks on property insurance claims. Enter when the damage happened and where your claim stands.
For a hurricane, tornado, windstorm or other weather event, Florida sets the date of loss by statute — the date the hurricane made landfall, or the date the event is verified by NOAA (Fla. Stat. §627.70132(3)).
Answer the questions above to see your deadline.
Free review. No recovery, no fee.
Florida law sets a separate five-year period for lawsuits on a property insurance policy (Fla. Stat. §95.11(2)(e)). A Florida attorney can confirm how it applies to you.
Condominium and HOA loss assessment claims run on a different clock — the later of 1 year from the loss or 90 days after the association votes the assessment, and never more than 3 years (Fla. Stat. §627.70132(4)). This calculator does not cover those. Call and we will work it out with you.
Robert Mack, Licensed Public Adjuster, Lic. #A161638. Deadlines depend on your policy and date of loss. This is general information, not legal advice. Notice deadlines: Fla. Stat. §627.70132 — 1 year from the date of loss for a new or reopened claim, 18 months for a supplemental claim.
What happens next
- You call. One conversation, and you will know whether there is anything here worth looking at further.
- A free policy and loss review. We read the policy you actually hold and look at what was actually lost. No cost, no obligation.
- We deal with the insurer. If there is a claim, we take it from there. No recovery, no fee.
What clients say
★★★★★ 4.8 out of 5 across 11 Google reviews
“I came here especially to thank Robert and write a review for him (he didn’t ask me to)”
“It will seem like they are helping you out with a claim, but PLA pointed out how they were cutting corners and not paying what is really due.”
“This company was on top of my issue from the moment I called to the very end.”
“As it turned out, I didn’t use Robert. But he put in the time and effort to visit me and provide me with solid information and guidance should the insurance company not be responsive.”
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Whose tree it was usually does not decide it
When a tree comes down on your house, it is generally your own policy that responds to the damage to your property — regardless of which side of the line the trunk stood on. People lose weeks pursuing a neighbour instead of opening a claim, and the deadlines do not pause while that happens.
There are situations where the tree's owner matters. They are narrower than most people assume, and they are not the place to start.
What tends to get left out
The roof is obvious. What is less obvious is the structure underneath it, water that came in through the opening before anything was covered, the fence, the driveway, the screen enclosure, and the cost of getting the tree off the house at all — which some policies treat separately and cap.
The practical version: open the claim, then work out who was responsible for the tree. Not the other way round. If you want someone to look at the whole loss rather than the hole in the roof, that is the job you are hiring for.
The water that follows
A tree through a roof almost always means water inside as well, and that part of the loss is routinely under-scoped because it is discovered later. Water damage claim help covers that side of it.
We work for you, not the insurance company
A public adjuster works for the policyholder. We document the whole loss, not just the visible part, and handle the negotiation. The insurer's adjuster is competent and is doing a job — it is just not your job.
The clock, on both sides
Florida sets deadlines on the insurer as well as on you. Under Fla. Stat. 627.70131 it must acknowledge your communication within 7 days, begin investigating within 7 business days of receiving proof of loss, carry out any physical inspection within 30 days, and pay or deny within 60 days. Your own deadline is separate: under Fla. Stat. 627.70132, notice of a new or reopened claim is generally due within one year of the date of loss, and a supplemental claim within 18 months.
- Florida-licensed public adjuster, License #A161638
- Robert Mack — SPPA, AIC, AIC-M
- In the insurance industry since 1991. Public Loss Adjusters, LLC established 2019.
- PO Box 560404, Montverde, FL 34756 — on site across Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties
- The review is free and carries no obligation
What we will never do: promise you an outcome, tell you what your claim is worth before anyone has looked at it, or ask you to overstate a loss. Any adjuster who does is a risk to you, not an asset.
Tree damage questions
My neighbour's tree fell on my house. Who pays?
In most cases your own policy responds to the damage to your property, whoever owned the tree. There are exceptions, and they are narrower than people expect. Chasing the neighbour first usually costs time you do not have. Call 352-353-4556.
Does the policy pay to remove the tree?
Often there is cover for removal, and it is frequently capped separately from the repair itself. Whether it applies, and how far, depends on your wording. Call 352-353-4556 for a free review.
The roof is patched but I think there is damage underneath. What now?
That is the usual shape of these claims - the visible opening gets closed and the structure and water damage underneath get discovered later. Florida allows supplemental claims. Call 352-353-4556.
The tree was dead. Does that change anything?
It can, and it is one of the few situations where who owned the tree starts to matter. It does not change the first step, which is opening your own claim. Call 352-353-4556.
What does this cost me?
The review is free. If we take the claim, the fee is a percentage of the claim payment, capped by Fla. Stat. 626.854 at 20% ordinarily and 10% for a claim arising from a declared state of emergency within the first year. No recovery, no fee. Call 352-353-4556.
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More: roof insurance claims · what to do when a claim is denied or underpaid · loss of use if you are put out of the house · public adjusters in Central Florida
Public Loss Adjusters, LLC — Florida-licensed public adjuster, License #A161638. PO Box 560404, Montverde, FL 34756. On-site representation in Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties; remote claim work statewide. No recovery, no fee; fees are capped under Florida law. This page is educational and is not legal advice, not a guarantee of coverage, and not a promise of payment. Every claim turns on its own policy language and facts.