Does anyone have a lot of knowledge about car insurance?

There is no way I would agree to claiming that on my home owners insurance.........your rates will go up. I would just pay the entire 1500 and be done with it........500 more than the deductible isnt worth it.

the car did the damage, the car pays for it

You need to consult an independent agent. Claims will not increase your premiums.

And for all financial matters along this line I would recomend the book, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad."

Talk to your agent & ask what you sould do.

I wouldn't go for that if I were the home owner.
Claims have a tendancy to make your future rates go higher.

I would notify your insurance company, let them sort it out. It could be that the homeowner's homeowners insurance pays and not your auto insurance. If it was our own garage door, we might pay it instead of making the claim, depending on things. But since someone else's property is involved, I might not trust the gentleman's agreement type of settlement, unless you are really good friends, and maybe not even then. How was $1500 arrived at?

Toni Rob--the reason your neighbors insurance paid for the tree damage was that it was considered an "act of god". But if your tree was dead and you "knew" it and didn't take care of it, then you would be "liable" and your insurance would pay for it under your homeowners liability property damage coverage.

Julie G--you should go ahead and file the claim on your insurance, you will not be out a deductible for the property damage done to the other party. Deductibles are only taken on collision claims on your own vehicle or on "other than collision" claims. I'm pretty sure if the homeowners filed with their insurance company that the insurance company would turn around and file a subro claim against you so you would end up paying for the damages anyway.

I worked for an insurance company for a claims adjuster for 16 years dealing only with property and auto claims. Have seen many claims like this one. Like I said, this is the way it works in Texas, not sure about your state.

So, we went ahead and paid the 1500 out of pocket. Our biggest concern was making sure it didn't affect my husbands driving record. He needs to have a very very good driving record for work. It simply wasn't worth 500 bucks to worry if anything would ever show up and cause him a problem. Unfortunately, my Vegas fund has been destroyed. Good thing I still have six months to save up and I have a lot of points at Myvegas. Thanks for all the advice.

It would not have cost you a penny on the actual claim, however, your auto rates might have gone up at renewal.