"ernie mendoza" wrote

My neighbour's old tree fell over and damaged my fence. It was not
windy and the 30-foot tree's roots had obviously rotted and gone. How
should I proceed with getting my fence repaired?

1. Get my neighbour to fix it?
2. Claim on my buildings insurance. In this case should I get his
insurance details so my insurance company can recover costs from his
company? How do i recover my £100 excess? Will my premium increase as
a result of my claim?

From my experience with insurance companies:

If the damage is less than say £500 (real cost, not insurance valuation) -
don't involve them.
You will pay some excess - maybe £100 to £150 anyway.
As others have said, you will likely see your premiums mysteriously increase
(protected or not)!

When you come to renew your insurance and find the premiums have gone up,
you will also find that other insurers want high premiums (or won't quote)
due to your claim in the last 3 years.

Phil