As you start making plans to spruce up your yard and trees before the fall, you might be tempted to lean toward whatever direction offers the better deal when it comes to hiring an arborist. This can often mean considering one that isn’t insured. But when you use a cut-rate tree service, you’re only putting yourself at a higher risk of easily avoidable expenses because the insurance is actually there to protect you.
Why Does an Arborist Need Insurance?
First off, arborists are professionals trained in the science of the planting, care, and maintenance of trees, and their certification means they have to keep their training and education up-to-date with the latest in tree care technology. When hiring an arborist, you should do more than make sure they’re properly certified. You should also be checking to see if they have proper liability insurance. Hiring an uninsured arborist means that if there is any damage to your property, your neighbor’s property, or if someone injures themselves on the job, you could be responsible. By having the right insurance, your arborist is protecting you, your home, your neighbors, and themselves if anything goes wrong.
What Kind of Insurance Should My Arborist Have?
When you ask your arborist if they’re insured, there are two types of insurance that you want to see. Every qualified tree service company should have general liability insurance, which protects you and the tree company from damages for potential accidents or injuries. The other is worker’s compensation, which protects the arborists themselves. Say your arborist takes down a tree and it falls onto your neighbor’s property, damaging their house, and injures your arborist in the process. If your hired company has insurance, the policies will cover the damage and the worker’s medical needs. If they don’t, you as the homeowner are held accountable for taking the bill. You’d be liable because it happened on your property and you were the one who hired them.
Cheaper Doesn’t Mean Better
You may have found an uninsured arborist offering a much lower rate than the insured and industry-certified one you’re also considering, but there’s a reason for that. An uninsured arborist knows that if anything happens, it’s going to come out of the homeowner’s wallet. Don’t fall victim to an unprofessional company that’s going to provide unsafe, lower quality work.
Always ask to see a tree company’s proof of insurance from their insurance company. Just because someone talks a good game doesn’t mean you can trust them and there have been instances locally of forged insurance cards. You have insurance for everything else in your daily life, and trees shouldn’t be any different.
Protect Yourself and Your Trees with Blackhawk Tree Services
The expert arborists with Blackhawk Tree Services are not only insured and certified with the International Society of Arborists and Tree Care Industry Association, but their exceptional customer service and knowledge for the care and health of trees is a part of their local reputation. Family-owned for over 40 years, you can trust the honesty and quality of Blackhawk Tree Services. Contact them today for a consultation and trust that your trees are in safe hands.