Dear Urban Diplomat: Am I responsible for damage caused by my neighbour’s tree?
A friend was recently over for dinner and stayed the night to avoid driving home in a bad storm. By the morning, a branch had broken off my neighbour’s tree and cracked my friend’s windshield. The damage is less than the insurance deductible, but it’s still expensive—about $200. She asked me to cover it, since she was parked in my driveway, and I told her she was bonkers: how can I be financially (or in any way) responsible for an act of God? Should I ask my neighbour to pay up, or tell my friend she’s out of luck?
—Tree Strikes and You’re Out, Mimico
Assuming the offending branch came from a healthy specimen and not a rotting tree, neither you nor your neighbour is to blame. Nobody is. Sometimes bad weather happens to good people. Politely stand your ground; if your friend persists, remind her of your magnanimity on the night of the sleepover when you could just as easily have sent her packing into the rain.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at [email protected]
 responsible for an act of God? Should I ask my neighbour to pay up, or tell my friend she’s out of luck?
—Tree Strikes and You’re Out, Mimico
Assuming the offending branch came from a healthy specimen and not a rotting tree, neither you nor your neighbour is to blame. Nobody is. Sometimes bad weather happens to good people. Politely stand your ground; if your friend persists, remind her of your magnanimity on the night of the sleepover when you could just as easily have sent her packing into the rain.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com
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