Tip Top Tree Service of Midlands, LLC

⚠️ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐤𝐞.

With damaging winds moving across the Midlands—and a 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 —many homeowners are waking up to downed trees, broken limbs, and property damage.

If your home or property was affected, 𝐓𝐢𝐩 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 is available for 𝟐𝟒/𝟕 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞.

Our experienced crew is equipped to safely remove trees from homes, driveways, vehicles, and other structures while helping prevent further damage.

𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐩? 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰.

If your property made it through this storm untouched, consider it a reminder that storm season is just getting started. Over the next several days, we'll be sharing tips on how to identify hazardous trees and prepare your property before the next round of severe weather.

Stay safe, and please be careful around damaged trees—they can be unpredictable and extremely dangerous.

🇺🇸𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐢𝐩 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞!

Today we celebrate freedom, family, and the amazing community we're proud to serve. We're especially grateful to the brave men and women of our Armed Forces—past and present—whose courage, sacrifice, and service help protect the freedoms we enjoy every day.

We hope your day is filled with great memories, good food, and spectacular fireworks! Please remember to keep fireworks away from trees and power lines, and stay alert for storm-damaged limbs after the festivities.

Thank you for supporting our local, family-owned business. Wishing everyone a safe and Happy Independence Day! ❤️🤍💙

🚨 𝐁𝐄 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓. 𝐁𝐄 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐄. 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄. 🚨

As we continue our series on protecting your biggest investment, we wanted to share an important reminder from the City of Forest Acres— and this applies to homeowners in 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧.

⚠️ 𝐁𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠:
🌳 Tree work
🏡 Yard cleanup
💦 Pressure washing
🔨 Home repairs

While many businesses are reputable, there are unfortunately some who take advantage of homeowners by performing work without proper communication, leaving behind poor-quality work, or presenting an unexpected and 𝐞𝐱𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥 afterward.

Before hiring anyone to work on your property:
✅ Ask for a written estimate BEFORE work begins
✅ Verify they are a legitimate business
✅ Confirm licensing and insurance when applicable
✅ Never feel pressured to make an immediate decision
✅ Be cautious of anyone who “just happens to be in the neighborhood” and offers a deal on the spot

For example, the City of Forest Acres reminds residents to verify contractors and check business licensing before work begins.

At Tip Top Tree Service, we believe homeowners deserve transparency, fair pricing, and the confidence of knowing who is working on their property.

A few minutes of research can save you thousands of dollars — and a lot of stress. 🌳

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞.

🚨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐢𝐝 🚨

Everyone likes to save money.

But when hiring a contractor, the cheapest price isn't always the best value.

𝐀 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧:
🚩 No Workers' Compensation
🚩 Insufficient insurance coverage
🚩 Inexperienced labor
🚩 Corners being cut
🚩 Increased risk for the homeowner

We're not saying the highest price is always the best either.

We're saying homeowners deserve to know exactly what they're paying for.

𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞:
✅ Experience
✅ Reputation
✅ Insurance
✅ Safety Practices
✅ Professionalism

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫.

Thank you for following along with our insurance and contractor education series. We hope it helps homeowners make informed decisions and protect what matters most.

𝐀𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫.

🚨 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 🚨

You've requested the Certificate of Insurance.

Now take one more step. 📞 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐎𝐈.

A COI is only proof of coverage on the day it was issued. Policies can change, expire, or be canceled.

A quick phone call can help verify:
✅ Coverage is active
✅ Workers' Compensation is active
✅ General Liability is active
✅ The policy applies to the work being performed

Any reputable contractor should welcome you verifying their coverage. 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐲.

🌳 Next up: The true cost of the cheapest bid.

𝐀𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫.

🚨 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐀 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝? 🚨

Throughout this series, we've talked about requesting a Certificate of Insurance (COI).

But here's something many homeowners don't know:
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐎𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞.

When a contractor requests a COI from their insurance agent, there is a section called the Certificate Holder.

The Certificate Holder is typically the homeowner, property owner, property manager, HOA, or business requesting proof of insurance.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫?
✅ It confirms the COI was issued specifically for your project.
✅ It shows exactly who requested proof of coverage.
✅ It gives you the insurance agency's contact information if you need to verify coverage.
✅ It helps ensure you're reviewing the most current insurance information available.

A Certificate Holder is not the same as being an Additional Insured, and we'll save that discussion for another day.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲:
Don't just ask, "Are you insured?"

Ask for a current Certificate of Insurance and make sure your name, business, HOA, or property information is listed as the Certificate Holder whenever possible.

🌳 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐢𝐩...
If you ever have questions about a contractor's insurance, call the insurance agency listed on the COI directly.

That's exactly what we'll discuss in our next post.

𝐀𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫

🚨 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬' 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞? 🚨

When homeowners think about insurance, they often focus on protecting their property.

But what happens if a worker gets seriously injured while working on your property?

That's where Workers' Compensation comes in.
Workers' Compensation is designed to provide benefits to employees who are injured on the job, including medical expenses and lost wages.

For homeowners, it's important because it helps ensure the contractor's employees are protected if an accident occurs.

🌳 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲.

It involves:
✔️ Working at heights
✔️ Chainsaws and specialized equipment
✔️ Heavy falling limbs and trees
✔️ Cranes, lifts, and rigging systems
✔️ Unpredictable weather and jobsite conditions

Because of these risks, homeowners should always ask:
✅ Do you carry Workers' Compensation coverage?
✅ Are all employees covered?
✅ Can you provide proof of coverage?

A reputable contractor should be able to answer these questions and provide documentation without hesitation.

Before hiring any contractor, don't just verify that they're insured—verify that they carry the appropriate insurance for the work being performed.

🌳 Next, we'll discuss what a Certificate Holder is, why your information should be listed on a COI, and how that can help you verify coverage before work begins.

𝐀𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫..

🚨𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐀 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 (𝐂𝐎𝐈) 🚨

Yesterday, we talked about how being "insured" and being "properly insured" aren't always the same thing.

So when a contractor provides a Certificate of Insurance (COI), what should you actually look for?

✅ 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞
Make sure the business name on the COI matches the company you're hiring.

✅ 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬
Verify the policy is currently active and has not expired.

✅ 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞
This helps protect against property damage caused by the contractor's operations.

✅ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬' 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞
If the company has employees, Workers' Compensation coverage is critical. We'll dive deeper into why in our next post.

✅ 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
A legitimate COI should include the insurance agency's contact information so coverage can be verified.

🚩 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐅𝐨𝐫
• Expired policies
• Missing coverage information
• Business name doesn't match
• Reluctance to provide a COI
• Information that appears altered or incomplete

A Certificate of Insurance is one of the easiest ways to verify a contractor's coverage before work begins—but only if you know what you're looking at.

🌳 In our next post, we'll discuss Workers' Compensation and why it may be one of the most important coverages a homeowner should verify before hiring a contractor.

𝐀𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫.