Have you seen someone whose house was damaged or the content stolen? How devastating it can be! In addition to the lost items, the person would have to pay a lot of money to get new ones. However, the incident can be protected to a considerable extent with vandalism and malicious mischief insurance.
As a property or home owner, you need to get vandalism and malicious mischief insurance coverage to keep your property and its content safe.
In this article, you will learn the vandalism and malicious mischief insurance definition, what it covers and what it doesn’t cover.
What is Vandalism and Malicious Mischief Insurance?
It is a type of insurance policy that protects your properties against vandalism. Both your home and its content are covered with the policy.
It is ideal for people who live in violence or vandalism-prone areas. But you never can know when someone is out to cause mischief. So, it is best to get the vandalism and malicious mischief insurance policy if you can afford it.
What is the Difference between Vandalism and Malicious Mischief: Vandalism and Malicious Mischief Defined Separately?
Although vandalism and malicious mischief insurance are combined as one policy, there meanings differ. For example, vandalism has to do with the intentional harm or damage caused to someone else’s property. It could be someone breaking into your home to cart away important documents. It could also be someone breaking into your home or stealing some of your kitchen appliances.
On the other hand, mischief is an “unintended damage.” Probably, the mischief makers egged your house to scare you, but ended up breaking a window.
However, both vandalism and mischief are combined because they both have to do with damages caused by third-parties.
What Property is Covered with Vandalism and Malicious Mischief Insurance?
The type of property covered with the vandalism and malicious mischief insurance is either your home or a rented apartment.
Living in a hotel or a serviced apartment doesn’t count all the time. Your home insurance company typically prioritizes properties that either belong to you or which you are responsible for.
What is Covered with the Vandalism and Malicious Mischief Insurance Policy?
Your home and personal belongings/properties are covered with the policy. Note that you must be legally responsible for those properties or home before the insurance kicks in.
Also, the damages shouldn’t be intentional. That is why most home insurers prioritize damages caused by third-parties.
What are Vandalism and Malicious Mischief Examples?
A few examples will suffice to help you understand what the vandalism and malicious mischief insurance covers.
A typical example is an ex breaking into your house. It could be your ex-husband or ex-boyfriend. Under the influence of alcohol (which happens most of the time), your ex destroys your TV set. You can make a vandalism insurance claim to cover the cost of replacing the set.
Another example is when someone eggs your house and breaks a window in the process. You can contact your home insurance company to report the incident and make a claim.
What is not Covered with Vandalism and Malicious Mischief Insurance
Your vandalism and malicious mischief insurance or VMM insurance may not cover some perils. Typically, it only covers the perils, events or hazards mentioned on the policy. Any other incident or peril outside that may not count.
With that being said, let us look at some of the events that may not be covered with a standard vandalism and malicious mischief insurance policy.
1. Outer Part of the Structure
Most home insurance companies only offer coverage options for incidents or hazards within the property. Your outer walls may not be covered. Therefore, any event, hazard or damage caused to your property outside the property may not up for a claim.
For example, if someone destroys your bicycle outside the property, you may not be able to make a claim. Likewise, someone making a malicious drawing on the outer walls of the building may not be claimable.
2. Vacant Home
It is worth mentioning that a home or property that hasn’t been occupied for some time may not be covered. Such a property is deemed “vacant” and is mostly covered with a vacant home insurance policy.
By being vacant, the property is considered “open for everyone to use” – and this could mean being used by third-parties. Schools, churches and residential buildings that haven’t been in use for a period of 30 to 60 days are declared “vacant.”
Within this time, someone can walk into the property to cause damage or loot the properties. Your home insurance company wouldn’t be so motivated to offer coverage for this type of property.
3. Damages by a Named Party wouldn’t be Covered
It may seem surprising, but naming someone in your vandalism and malicious mischief insurance can be working against your claim.
The vandalism and malicious mischief insurance provider assumes that the named person did the damage intentionally to make a claim. Like many other insurance policies, the vandalism and malicious mischief insurance “frowns” at intentional damages.
Besides, basic vandalism and malicious mischief insurance only cover damages by a third party. Damages caused by both you and the person named on the policy wouldn’t count.
Understanding the Intentionality in VMM Insurance
What do we mean when we say that damages caused by you or a named party aren’t intentional? What it means is that you and the named party aren’t recognized as being a threat to the threat, because it is yours in the real sense.
However, damages by a neighbor or someone visiting your home is “intentional” because they did it to harm.
How to File a Claim for Vandalism and Malicious Mischief Insurance
You now know the meaning of vandalism and malicious mischief insurance. How do you make a vandalism insurance claim if someone damages your property?
Here are tips on how to go about that:
- File a report with the nearest police station.
- Have handy evidence of the damage. We advise taking lots of pictures of the damage and making a video if possible.
- Contact your home insurance company and make an official report of the incident and make your claim.
What to Do if Your Vandalism and Malicious Mischief Insurance Claim is Denied?
Did your home insurance company deny the vandalism and malicious mischief insurance claim? It can be demotivating to see that the company didn’t believe your report.
It is not the end of the road. You still have a chance at making a claim. Do these:
- Find out the reasons behind the bad faith claims by your home insurer.
- Contact professional vandalism and malicious mischief insurance counsel to guide you on what to do.
Conclusion
Getting vandalism and malicious mischief insurance helps to protect your property against acts of vandalism and from the antics of mischief makers.
Your insurer may deny the claim by coming up with some bad-faith tactics. That is why you must be sure to follow the process of filing a vandalism insurance claim with the police and contacting your insurer to make a formal report. If the claim is denied, reach out to professional vandalism and malicious mischief counsel to help you get the claim amount so you can fix your property.
