1. Get everyone out from under it
A tree on the roof is still moving — settling, sliding, shifting as branches break. Stay out of the rooms below it, and if the trunk is through the ceiling or the roof structure is visibly sagging, get out of the house and call 911 if power lines are involved. Do not go on the roof.
2. Photograph everything
From the ground, from every side, before anyone touches it: the tree, where it came from, the damage, the inside ceilings. Video walking around the house. This is your claim evidence, and it's the one thing you can't recreate after the tree is gone.
3. Call a roofer, then a tree company, then insurance
Your policy requires you to prevent further damage, so emergency tarping is expected and reimbursable — that's the roofer. The tree company gets the weight off (we coordinate with one). Then call your carrier to open the claim, with the photos already taken. Calling insurance first delays the tarp by hours while water pours in, and adjusters won't be there for days anyway.
4. Get it dry
A screwed-and-battened tarp over the damage, or the tree cut off and the hole covered, on the first visit. Keep the receipt; it's part of the claim. Move furniture, put buckets under drips, and pull wet insulation from the attic if you can reach it safely — mold in the Upstate starts in about 48 hours.
5. Document the repair scope before anyone repairs anything
Have the roofer inspect the whole roof, not just the hole. Impact damage travels — cracked decking and rafters, split shingles well away from the trunk, damaged flashing — and the adjuster's first scope is often just the visible hole. A complete, photographed damage report before the adjuster comes is what gets the whole thing covered.
6. Watch for the trucks
After every major Upstate storm, out-of-state crews arrive with door-hangers and yard signs offering free inspections and 'we'll handle your deductible.' Waiving a deductible is insurance fraud in South Carolina. Ask any roofer for a physical local address, a SC LLR registration, a certificate of insurance, and references from before the storm. Don't sign an assignment of benefits or a contingency agreement you don't understand.
7. What insurance covers
Damage to the house from a fallen tree is covered under a standard SC homeowners policy, subject to the deductible (the wind/hail deductible if it was a windstorm). Removing the tree from the structure is covered; hauling away a tree that fell in the yard usually isn't, or has a small cap. If it was your neighbor's tree, your policy still pays; theirs is involved only if they were negligent. Rebuild to current code (ridge vent, ice-and-water) is often covered under 'ordinance or law.'
Common questions
Should I climb up and put a tarp on myself?
No. Roofs with trees on them have hidden broken decking and rafters, and wet shingles are slick. People are hurt this way after every storm. Call us — the tarp is same-day and reimbursable.
The tree was my neighbor's. Do they pay?
Your policy pays for your house. Your carrier may pursue theirs if the tree was known to be dead or dangerous — keep any letters or photos that show that.
Do I need a tree company or a roofer first?
Both, and they coordinate. Small limbs we cut ourselves; a trunk needs a tree crew with a crane before the roof can be opened and covered. We'll get both on site.
How long will the repair take?
Tarped within hours. Permanent repair or replacement within days once the adjuster has scoped it — or immediately if you'd rather not wait and want to be reimbursed after.
What if the tree also crushed the gutters and fence?
Photograph them; they're covered under the same claim (fence and outbuildings as 'other structures'). We itemize gutters in the roof estimate.
Related: Emergency roof repair · Storm & tree damage · Insurance claims · Claims guide