Malicious Mischief
Malicious Mischief
If youโve raised, or are currently raising, a teenager, you know just how spontaneous and chaotic it can be. You were also a teen once. Now that youโve got kids of your own, you feel bad for all the hell you caused your parents growing up. Now, you get it.
Teenagers have a mind of their own. As much as we try to guide them in the right direction, parents canโt always be there to make sure their kid is making the right decision. Sometimes, it ends badly. Weโve all been there, right? Have you ever had an idea that seemed great at first, and ended up being a mistake? When youโre a teenager, everything feels like an awesome idea until it ends badly. Then, lessons are learned. Hopefully.
Teenagers are mischievous until they learn. They can end up doing stupid things, like throwing a house party or egging their least favorite teacherโs house. Are you, as a parent, responsible for the destruction your child makes to anotherโs property?
Insurance is there to help us when accidents happen. But what happens when the damage wasnโt exactly an accident–it was done intentionally? The truth is, in some cases, insurance is there to help when malicious mischief occurs. Vandalism is intentional damage caused to anotherโs property. Mischief is essentially the same thing; only the damage is unintentional. For example, a child may egg a house without realizing the damage the eggs can cause. Some kids may initially think an activity is harmless.
On many homeowners insurance policies, there is coverage for โmalicious mischief.โ Some homeowners policies may require that you add this coverage as an endorsement. If your teenager causes damage to another personโs property, you may be held liable for the cost to replace the damaged property. When youโre young, itโs hard to recognize the extent of the damages caused by mischief because young people are not yet working hard to earn their money. Attempt to discuss the value of buying something with hard-earned money to instill a sense of respect for your property in your teenโs mind.
Often, malicious mischief inclusions are important for properties that are unoccupied for lengths of time, such as a vacation home. The risk to insure these properties is higher because the frequency of claims is more likely to be higher than a property that is consistently occupied. For these properties, the deductible is higher. Vandalism is not covered in homes that have been vacant for up to 60 days or more. Also, if the insured is the person committing the vandalism, the damages are excluded from the policy.
If you have misbehaving teens, try asking your independent agent if your homeowners policy has coverage for their uncontrollable behavior.
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