Whether you barely converse with your townhouse neighbor beyond a smile and a nod when you see each other in your driveways or you're close friends, it's important for you to stand united when it comes to protecting your homes from problems that may arise. Given that your homes are physically touching each other, there can be times that your neighbor's neglect in a certain area could lead to damage to your home, and a need to make a claim with your home insurance provider. Don't ever be afraid of ringing your neighbor's doorbell and asking him or her to address these types of issues.

Overgrown Trees

Even if you take care to keep the trees in your yard trimmed carefully, your neighbor might not take the same approach. The concern with this situation is that a large, dead tree in your neighbor's yard could have the potential to break off during a storm and crash into your home, causing severe damage and necessitating an insurance claim. Share your concern with your neighbor and ask that he or she takes steps to deal with the problem by hiring a tree service promptly. You can also remind your neighbor that getting rid of the dead tree will protect his or her townhouse from damage, too.

Worn-Out Roof

Depending on the layout of your townhouse, you'll often share a roof with your neighbor. In some cases, the roofs will be separated in height by a few inches, which means that either neighbor can repair his or her roof without affecting the other neighbor's roof. If your roof is in good shape but your neighbor's has seen better days, this is a concern for you because water could possibly leak through the neighbor's roof and run into your attic, depending on the building. While flooding damage isn't often caused under your basic home insurance policy, water damage from roof leaks generally is — but you don't want to find yourself needing to make a claim because of your neighbor's negligence.

Irresponsible Fire Pit Use

If your neighbor has a fire pit in the backyard, you want to be sure that he or she uses it responsibly. This means avoiding its use during dry-weather conditions, never leaving a fire unattended and always having a bucket of water or the hose nearby. If you've noticed that your neighbor doesn't follow these rules, his or her negligence could result in an errant spark getting caught by the wind and setting your townhouse on fire. Be sure to share this concern with the neighbor, as neither of you wants to deal with a preventable house fire.

To learn more, contact an insurance agency like Callis & Associates.