Homeowners insurance exists to protect homeowners from unforeseen circumstances. This includes damage caused by fire, windstorms, burglary, hail and more. One question that homeowners may have is whether or not vandalism is covered by home insurance. Most standard home insurance covers vandalism, including a smashed mailbox to broken lights. Read on to find out more about how your home insurance policy can help to protect you against vandalism.
What Defines Vandalism?
Essentially, vandalism means intentionally defacing, or even destroying someone’s property without their knowledge or consent. It can be done in many ways, from defacing their property, smashing their lights, and throwing eggs in their home. If someone has done something on purpose to damage your home without your consent, it constitutes as vandalism.
Some of the more common forms of vandalism include slashing car tires, painting or throwing paint in someone’s home, arson, destroying their front lawn or backyards, tampering with their plumbing and more.
Is Vandalism Covered Under Home Insurance Policies?
Home is a place of rest and relaxation, a sanctuary where people have their own personal space. If someone invades this space and vandalizes your home, your home insurance policy will take care of it and cover the damages caused by vandalism.
Is Vacant Home Insurance Needed?
Vacant homes are more common targets of vandalism. While many home insurance policies have provisions which state that coverage for vandalism will be removed after a home is vacant for more than 30 days, a lot of insurance companies will choose to cancel coverage for vandalism once they are made aware that a home has been or is vacant. If you need to leave your home vacant for some reason, it will be best to approach your insurance agent to ask them what the best course of action is. Tell them about how long you will need to leave your home vacant and ask what you should do in order to protect your home. Your agent will be able to advise you on the next steps to take, such as acquiring coverage from specialty insurance carriers.
What to Do if Your Home Has Been Vandalized
If you are a victim of vandalism, these are the things that you should do to get the most out of your claim. First, you should notify the police and file a report. This report is extremely important as it will have a detailed account of the damages that resulted from vandalism. You should also snap pictures of areas that have been vandalized. Take note not to make any repairs until a claims adjuster comes by to have a look at the damage. Finally, call your insurance company and ensure that you have all documentation on hand, including videos, photos and inventories of things that have been destroyed. This will help you file a more convincing claim.
Most of the time, cases of vandalism are unexpected and cannot be predicted. The best way to safeguard your home is to have the right homeowners insurance policy.
If you are thinking about getting home insurance but have no idea where to start, feel free to contact K&N Brokerage. Our team of professionals are knowledgeable in this aspect and can help you with your queries.
