What to Do When a Tree Falls on Your Property: Safety, Insurance and Who to Call

What to Do When a Tree Falls on Your Property: Safety, Insurance and Who to Call

When a tree comes down on your home, car or fence, the first hour counts. Get everyone clear, treat nearby power lines as live and call if anyone is hurt. Then take the picture of the damage from a safe distance and contact your insurer and an emergency tree removal service. Here’s how our team at Jordan’s Tree Services recommends working through it.

1. Get People and Pets Clear

Move everyone away from the tree and anything it has hit. Fallen trees are often unstable: trunks can roll, split limbs under tension can spring loose, and broken branches caught overhead may still drop. If the tree has struck your house, leave rooms under the impact point and don’t go back in for belongings.

2. Check for Power Lines First

Assume any fallen or sagging line is live. Stay at least eight metres away and don’t touch the tree, fence, car or puddle it’s in contact with, as electricity can travel through the ground. Report it to Western Power’s 24/7 emergency line. If you smell gas, move away.

3. Call 000 for Any Threat to Life

Call 000 if someone is injured or trapped, or there’s fire or serious structural damage. Never approach an injured person if it means going near a power line. If storm damage has left your home unsafe, the SES can help on 132 500, although during major storms they prioritise the most urgent jobs.

4. Document the Damage Safely

Before anything is moved, take photos and video from the ground. Useful records include:

• Wide shots showing the whole tree and where it landed
• Close-ups of damage to roofs, gutters, fences, vehicles or sheds
• The base of the tree, root plate or snap point
• Notes on the date, time and weather

Don’t climb ladders or step under the canopy for a better angle.

5. Contact Your Insurer

Policies vary, so lodge a claim early and confirm exactly what’s covered. Cover for tree removal, debris clean-up, or a tree that falls without damaging anything can differ or be capped. Have your policy number and photos ready, ask whether removal needs approval first, and keep every receipt. If the tree came from a neighbour’s yard or a council verge, tell your insurer, and report verge trees to the City of Rockingham or City of Mandurah.

6. Call a Professional Arborist

A tree resting on a roof, car or fence carries weight unpredictably. Cutting the wrong section can drop load onto the structure or cause the trunk to kick back. Qualified emergency tree removal services assess stability, identify where timber is under tension and plan a controlled removal with 

 Near power lines, Western Power must make the area safe before any tree work begins.

7. What to Do While You Wait

• Stay out of damaged rooms and off the roof.
• Keep children, pets and neighbours well back.
• Leave broken fencing or sheds alone if they may contain asbestos, which is common in older WA homes.
• Move vehicles only if they’re well clear of the tree and any lines.
• Resist cutting anything. Even small branches may be holding the trunk in place.

Need Emergency Tree Removal in Rockingham or Mandurah?

If a tree has come down on your property, call Jordan’s Tree Services on 0456 799 568. We provide 24/7 emergency and after hours tree service across Rockingham, Mandurah, Baldivis, Kwinana and the Peel region, with qualified arborists who make the site safe, remove the tree and leave your property tidy.