A big oak tree from my neighbor's property fell over last month and damaged about 20 feet of my wooden fence. The tree looked healthy to me, but my neighbor says it was just bad weather. Do I have any legal claim against them, or is this just considered an act of nature that I have to deal with myself?
The key thing is whether your neighbor knew the tree was dangerous before it fell - if it was visibly diseased, had dead branches, or he'd been warned about it, you might have a case, but if it was just a healthy tree that storms happen to take down, you're usually stuck covering your own fence damage. You'll want to check your local laws since they vary a lot, but most places won't hold someone liable for storm damage from an otherwise normal tree.
I've seen this kind of thing happen to neighbors' yards before. The tough part is that most places won't hold your neighbor liable just because a tree fell - storms happen. But if you can show the tree was obviously diseased, had major dead limbs hanging over your property, or your neighbor ignored complaints about it, you might have something. The real problem is proving they knew about the danger beforehand, which is why it helps if you have photos, messages, or witnesses who saw the tree's condition. Your homeowner's insurance is usually your best bet here, honestly - they might cover tree damage even without proving negligence.
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