Living in the City of Trees comes with a cost: maintenance to maintain homeowners insurance

SACRAMENTO — Some residents in Sacrmento's Land Park neighborhood are concerned after receiving notices from their homeowner insurance companies threatening to cancel them if they do not trim or chop down their trees.

One of the reasons why so many people move to neighborhoods like Land Park is to be surrounded by a beautiful canopy of trees, in the city of trees.

"We're encouraged to actually plant trees and provide a tree canopy, especially in this neighborhood for shade to reduce heat and reduce electricity," said Noel Edson, who lives in Land Park. "For them to say, 'No, you have to cut them back,' it seems like we are getting two different messages."

One homeowner who did not want to be identified said they have never made a claim in 25 years but recently received a notice from Liberty Mutual that they were being canceled because of hanging trees and moss on the roof.

The homeowner said quotes from other insurance companies for coverage would have been four times the amount they were paying. It ended up costing them nearly $10,000 to make the fixes.

"This has been going on for as long as I've been doing insurance and probably longer than that," said a local insurance agent who did not want to be identified.

The agent said that this is nothing new. He said overgrown shrubs, trees, moss build up and anything touching the roof is a hazard.
"Not to sound harsh, but pride and ownership has a lot to do with it," the agent said.

Many insurance companies have pulled out of California following catastrophic fires and, most recently, major winter storms that knocked down city and private trees in neighborhoods.

"I think they are so concerned about loss and the cost of rebuilding," Edson said.

Any insurance agency is bound by regulations to give 90- to 180-day notices before canceling, but the insurance agent who spoke with CBS13 said the issue is that not everyone sees those notices before it is too late.

"People think, 'Oh gosh, getting more mail from my insurance,' and people cast it aside," the insurance agent said.

It is important for homeowners to know what trees they are responsible for, whereas the city is responsible for trimming and maintaining city trees and those on a right-of-way. If you have a city tree issue, you can contact 311.

Liberty Mutual gave CBS13 this statement:

"Homeowners must maintain a property that meets our filed and approved underwriting guidelines. This could mean taking action to remove growth, trimming trees that overhang the roof, and removing debris to mitigate potential loss."