Services
Document a loss
Support a claim
For carriers and employers
Service areas
Middle Tennessee
- Nashville
- Clarksville
- Murfreesboro
- Franklin
- Hendersonville
- Smyrna
- Spring Hill
- Gallatin
- Lebanon
- Columbia
- Brentwood
- Mount Juliet
- La Vergne
- Cookeville
East Tennessee
West Tennessee
Fallen Tree Damage Documentation for Tennessee Property Claims
Neutral photographs and measurements of a fallen tree, where it stood, where it broke or uprooted and what it struck, completed before the removal crew cuts it up. For homeowners, neighbors, carriers and attorneys handling a tree-related property claim.
- Coverage
- 95 of 95 counties
- Dispatch
- 24 / 7 / 365
- Metro response
- Under 60 min avg.
- Statewide
- 4-hour guarantee
What this service covers
When a tree comes down on a house, fence, vehicle or outbuilding, the tree itself is the central piece of evidence and it is usually gone within a day or two. Removal crews section the trunk, grind the stump and haul the debris. After that, nobody can show where the trunk stood relative to a boundary, what the wood looked like at the break, or whether the root plate lifted out of the ground.
Delator Claims Division records those details while the tree is still in place, or records what remains if removal has started. The work is factual. Field personnel are not arborists or surveyors. They do not say whether a tree was healthy, diseased or dead, do not establish a legal property line, and do not determine who is responsible for the loss. They photograph, measure and describe what is visible.
When to document a downed tree
- A neighbor's tree falls across a shared fence line onto a roof and both households have reported the loss to their carriers.
- A removal crew is scheduled for the next morning and the trunk, break and stump need to be photographed first.
- A large limb drops onto a parked vehicle in a driveway or apartment lot with no storm reported that day.
- A tree from a commercial lot or common area falls onto an adjoining home and the property manager wants a neutral record.
- Trees are down across several structures on a rural parcel and the owner needs each one tied to the building it struck.
The tree, its origin and what it struck
- Trunk and failure point
- Trunk diameter, the height of the break, and close photographs of the exposed wood showing color, texture, cavities and any visible decay, recorded without diagnosing it.
- Root plate and soil
- Whether the tree snapped or uprooted, the size of the lifted root plate, the depth of the hole, broken roots and the soil condition around the base.
- Stump location and boundary context
- Position of the stump or base relative to fences, survey pins, markers, driveways and utility lines, with measurements to fixed features. This is context, not a survey.
- Direction and length of fall
- Compass bearing of the fallen trunk, its overall length and the distance from the base to each point where it contacted a structure, vehicle or fence.
- Canopy and remaining limbs
- Foliage or bare branches in the crown, hanging or cracked limbs still in the tree, prior pruning cuts and nearby trees of the same type for comparison.
- Impact damage beneath the tree
- Crushed roof sections, punctures, broken rafters visible from outside, damaged gutters, fencing and vehicles, photographed before and after the tree is lifted where timing allows.
From request to delivered record
- RequestCall dispatch or submit the request form with the location, loss type and urgency.
- DeployDispatch assigns the nearest available licensed field investigator through the statewide network.
- DocumentPhotographs, video, measurements and factual notes are captured once the scene is safe to work.
- PreserveFiles are timestamped, organized and kept in their original form with a record of who captured them.
- ReportThe package is delivered securely to the requesting party, typically the same day.
The tree is usually removed before the claim is reviewed
Removal is urgent when a trunk is resting on a roof, and no one should delay it for photographs if the structure is at risk. A documentation visit can often be fitted in ahead of the crew or alongside it. With the tree still in place, the investigator records the full length from base to crown, the contact points and the root plate. During removal, the cut sections and the stump face can be photographed as they are exposed.
If the tree is already gone, useful evidence may remain for a short time: the stump or the root hole, sawdust and grindings, sections stacked at the curb, drag marks and the damage to the structure. Sections waiting for pickup can be photographed at the cut faces. The notes record what was present, what had been removed before arrival and who was said to have removed it, without filling gaps with assumptions.
Location and condition are questions for others to answer
Tree claims between neighbors often come down to two factual questions that others must answer: on whose land the tree stood, and what condition it was in before it fell. Delator's record supports both without deciding either. Measurements from the stump to fences and other fixed features give a surveyor or adjuster a starting point. Photographs of the wood at the break and of the remaining canopy give an arborist material to review after the tree itself is gone.
Requests come from homeowners, neighbors, property managers, carriers on either side and attorneys. For policyholders and individuals the service is neutral documentation only. Delator does not interpret a policy, estimate removal or repair costs, or advise anyone on responsibility for the tree. Field personnel also stay clear of downed or sagging utility lines and unstable limbs, and do not climb onto a roof that is carrying the weight of a trunk. Those limits are noted in the report.
On this assignment Delator field personnel record what is physically present: photographs, video, measurements and factual notes. They do not adjust, appraise or value the loss, do not determine coverage, cause or fault, and do not represent any party to the claim.
Delator Claims Division is not a law firm, an insurer or an engineering firm, and nothing on this page is legal advice.
Common questions about this service
Can you tell whether the tree was dead or diseased?
No. That is an arborist's evaluation. We photograph the break, the root plate, the bark and the canopy in detail so that an arborist can review the tree's visible condition from the record, even after the wood has been hauled away.
Will the report show whose property the tree was on?
The report shows where the base of the tree stood in relation to fences, markers and other visible features, with measurements. It does not establish a legal boundary. Only a licensed surveyor can locate a property line, and ownership questions are decided by others.
The removal crew is coming in the morning. Can you get here first?
In most cases, yes. Rush assignments are on site in 12 to 20 hours and Emergency assignments in 30 minutes to four hours, statewide. Give dispatch the crew's arrival time when you call 615-977-9929 so the visit can be scheduled ahead of it.
Do you document trees on vehicles as well as buildings?
Yes. The same approach applies: the tree or limb, where it came from, and the damage beneath it. The vehicle's position, plate and visible damage are recorded before it is moved when possible, and again after the limb is lifted off if we are still on site.
Available statewide, including
Every Tennessee county is covered. See the deployment map for typical response tiers by county.
Request documentation anywhere in Tennessee
Dispatch is staffed around the clock. For time-sensitive scenes, calling is fastest; the request form works for routine and scheduled assignments.