Reviewed and approved by Samuel Corso, licensed Texas insurance agent.

Published September 17, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026

Does insurance cover vandalism in Texas?

Vandalism can damage a car, a house, and the things inside either one, and each may fall under a different coverage. This guide walks through what the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) says about each, then covers a vacant house, deductibles, renewal, and filing a claim.

The short version. In Texas, the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) says in its Auto insurance guide that comprehensive coverage on an auto policy pays if a car is damaged by vandalism. For a house, TDI's Home insurance guide lists vandalism among risks most policies cover, says coverages vary by company, and lists losses at a house vacant for the days the policy specifies among those most don't cover.

Vandalism to your car and comprehensive coverage

On a Texas auto policy, vandalism to your own car is a matter for comprehensive coverage. TDI's Auto insurance guide describes it this way: "Comprehensive (other than collision) coverage pays if your car is stolen or damaged by fire, flood, vandalism or something other than a collision." TDI's Auto Insurance Glossary also names vandalism, along with hail, flood, fire, and theft, in its definition of comprehensive coverage.

TDI addresses break-ins on a separate page about auto theft. In Auto theft and insurance: How to protect your ride, TDI says: "If your car is stolen, or someone breaks into it, your auto insurance will probably cover the damages if you have comprehensive coverage."

Both statements depend on the policy including comprehensive coverage. TDI's Auto insurance guide (last updated 12/11/2025) lists comprehensive as one of eight basic auto coverages, separate from liability coverage, which it describes as paying to repair the other driver's car if you caused the accident.

The same guide says that if you still owe money on your car, your lender will require you to have collision and comprehensive coverage. To see what your own policy includes, look at the declarations page, which the guide describes as the first page of your policy, with a summary of your coverages, dollar limits, and deductibles.

If the car can't be driven while it is repaired, a rental may be a separate question. TDI's auto theft page, which is about theft and break-ins and does not mention vandalism by name, says that if your car is stolen or damaged by thieves you can use rental reimbursement insurance to rent a car, and suggests asking your agent or insurance company if you have that coverage or can add it.

Our guide on what car insurance is required in Texas covers liability coverage in more detail.

Vandalism to your home and what TDI lists as covered

On a Texas home policy, vandalism is one of the risks TDI lists as covered by most policies, with the caveat that coverages vary by company. TDI's Home insurance guide has a table of common risks that most policies do and don't cover, and vandalism and malicious mischief sit in the column of damages most policies cover, alongside fire and lightning, explosion, and theft. Directly above that table, TDI adds: "Coverages vary by company. Read your policy or talk to your agent to be sure of your exact coverages."

TDI's FAQ: Homeowners insurance, claims, saving money, and more frames it in terms of your own policy. It says your policy will pay for the kinds of losses listed in your policy, and it gives vandalism as one example.

Which part of a home policy applies depends on what was damaged. TDI's Home insurance guide describes these three among the six coverages it says most home policies in Texas include, each in general terms and without reference to vandalism:

• The house itself. Dwelling coverage, in the guide's words, pays if your house is damaged or destroyed by something your policy covers.
• Fences, sheds, and detached garages. Other structures coverage pays to repair structures on your property that aren't attached to your house.
• Your belongings. Personal property coverage pays if your furniture, clothing, and other things you own are stolen, damaged, or destroyed.

So a broken window, a spray-painted fence, and a damaged piece of furniture may each be measured against a different part of the same policy, subject to what that policy lists as covered.

If you rent, the same Home insurance guide says renters insurance covers your personal property if it is stolen or damaged while you're living in a rented house or apartment, and that it won't pay to fix the building because the building owner's policy does that. Our guide on renters insurance in Texas covers that side.

Things stolen from inside the car

Belongings taken from a car in Texas may fall under a home or renters policy. TDI's Auto theft and insurance: How to protect your ride says: "If thieves take a laptop or other personal items from your car, that's probably covered by your home or renter's insurance. You'll need to check your policy to see what's covered."

That TDI page speaks about items thieves take. It does not address belongings that a vandal damages and leaves behind, so check your home or renters policy for how it treats those.

In practice, one break-in can involve two policies: damage to the car on the auto policy, if it has comprehensive coverage, and the missing bag on a home or renters policy, if that policy covers it. Each policy can have its own deductible. Our guide on personal property coverage in Texas covers how the belongings side works.

What TDI says about a vacant house

A vacant house is one of the exceptions TDI lists for Texas home policies, and it sits in the same table as vandalism. In the same table of its Home insurance guide, under damages most policies don't cover, TDI lists: "Losses that occur if your house is vacant for the number of days specified by your policy".

The guide gives a number in a different place, its list of reasons a company may nonrenew a policy. One reason on that list reads: "Your house is vacant for 60 days or more. Most companies stop your coverage if your house is vacant for that long. They usually don't stop your liability coverage, though." TDI follows it with a suggestion: if you plan to be out of your house for an extended time, talk to your company to make sure your coverage continues.

Note the difference between the two passages. The table refers to the number of days your own policy specifies, and the 60-day figure comes from the nonrenewal list, so the table points to your own policy's wording for the number of days. This can matter for an inherited house waiting to be sold, a rental between tenants, or a home you have already moved out of. Our guide on vacant home insurance in Texas covers the options.

How the deductible changes the math

A deductible can apply to a vandalism claim in Texas whether it is made on an auto policy or a home policy. TDI's Auto insurance guide says you must pay a deductible for collision, comprehensive, and uninsured/underinsured motorist claims, and defines a deductible as the amount of a claim that you must pay yourself.

For home policies, TDI's Home insurance guide gives its own example: on a $1,000 claim under a policy with a $300 deductible, the insurance company deducts $300 and pays $700. The guide adds that you might have different deductibles for each type of coverage.

TDI's page Will my premium go up if I file a claim? suggests finding out how much your deductible is and getting repair estimates before you file a claim, because the insurance company will subtract the deductible from your claim payment.

For vandalism, that means the repair estimate and the deductible are the two numbers to have in hand. TDI says the company subtracts the deductible from the claim payment.

Will a vandalism claim affect your rate or your renewal?

A vandalism claim in Texas may affect what you pay and, on a home policy, may count toward nonrenewal, depending on how your company treats it. TDI's Will my premium go up if I file a claim? (last updated 2/26/2026) says it depends on the type of claim and how many you file, that home and auto premiums can go up if you file claims, and that you could lose any discounts you're getting for being claim free.

The same TDI page lists things companies can't charge you more for. For home and auto, the list includes claims the company didn't pay and calling your company or agent to ask questions about your policy or the claims filing process. For home companies, it adds claims for damage from natural causes, including weather, and certain appliance-related water damage claims. Vandalism is not named on either list.

On renewal, TDI's Home insurance guide includes this among the reasons a company may nonrenew a home policy: "You file three or more nonweather-related claims in three years. If you file two nonweather-related claims, the company must tell you that you're in danger of nonrenewal." The guide goes on to say that if the company doesn't tell you, it can't refuse to renew because of a third claim, and that a company can raise your rates if you file two or more nonweather-related claims. The guide does not say whether a vandalism claim counts as nonweather-related, so that is a question for your company.

Claims history can also carry from one company to another. TDI's premium page says most insurance companies get a report from the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE), and that because most companies use CLUE they can learn about home or auto claims you've filed, even if the claim was with another insurance company. It says you can get a free copy of your report each year by calling 866-312-8076.

Taken together, TDI's pages describe a filed claim as something another company can later see, and they treat a question to your company or agent differently from a claim. Our guide on do car insurance claims follow you in Texas covers the auto side of claims history.

How to file a vandalism claim

For a vandalism claim on a Texas home policy, the closest TDI guidance is its general list of home claim tips. TDI's Home insurance guide gives claim tips for home claims in general, not for vandalism specifically, and they include:

• Timing. Tell your company as soon as possible. The guide notes that most companies have deadlines for you to file a claim.
• A record of the damage. Make a list of your damaged property and, if possible, take pictures or videos of the damage before making any repairs.
• Temporary repairs. Make only temporary repairs to protect your house and belongings, such as boarding up broken windows. TDI's wording here is firm: "Don't make permanent repairs. The insurance company might deny your claim if you make permanent repairs before it sees the damage."
• Receipts. Keep receipts, including for any materials you bought to make repairs.

You can also report the vandalism to the police.

A home inventory can make the belongings part of a claim easier to document. TDI's Home insurance guide says a complete list of your property will make filing claims easier and suggests photographing or videotaping each room.

On timing after you file, TDI's Home insurance guide (last updated 6/1/2026) says a company must tell you it got your claim within 15 days, accept or deny it within 15 business days of getting all the information it needs from you, though that deadline may be longer after major disasters, and send a check within five business days after it agrees to pay. The guide also says a company that needs more time can take 45 days to decide and must tell you the reason for the delay, and that different time frames apply to surplus lines companies, to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, and where a company suspects arson. For auto claims with your own company, TDI's Auto insurance guide lists the same 15-day, 15-business-day, 45-day, and five-business-day steps, and says they don't apply if another driver's insurance company is paying the claim.

If you disagree with the adjuster's estimate or the amount offered, TDI's Home insurance guide says to tell the insurance company why, and that you might be able to work things out by talking with the company or the adjuster. Our guide on disputing a home insurance claim decision in Texas covers what TDI describes after that.

What about a business?

For vandalism to a storefront, an office, or business equipment, the TDI pages cited in this guide do not cover business property, so check the business policy.

What to do with this

These are steps you can take before or after vandalism to a car or home in Texas. They are Credify's own checklist, drawn from the points above.

• Check your auto declarations page. See whether comprehensive coverage is listed.
• Know both deductibles. Find the auto comprehensive deductible and the home deductible.
• Read your home policy's vacancy wording. If a house is going to sit empty, talk to your company first, as TDI's guide suggests.
• Record the damage. Take photos or video before any repairs, make only temporary repairs, and keep receipts.
• Report it. Tell your company as soon as possible, and consider a police report.
• Get repair estimates. TDI's premium page suggests having them, along with your deductible amount, before you file.

Key facts

• TDI's Auto insurance guide says comprehensive coverage pays if a car is stolen or damaged by fire, flood, vandalism, or something other than a collision, and that a lender will require collision and comprehensive coverage if you still owe money on the car.
• TDI's Auto theft and insurance page says auto insurance will probably cover the damages from a break-in if you have comprehensive coverage, and that personal items thieves take from a car are probably covered by home or renters insurance, depending on what your policy covers.
• TDI's Home insurance guide lists vandalism and malicious mischief among the risks most home policies cover, and says coverages vary by company.
• The same Home insurance guide lists losses that occur if a house is vacant for the number of days specified by the policy among those most policies don't cover. In its list of nonrenewal reasons it says most companies stop coverage if a house is vacant for 60 days or more, and that they usually don't stop liability coverage.
• TDI's Will my premium go up if I file a claim? says home and auto premiums can go up if you file claims, depending on the type of claim and how many you file, and that the company subtracts your deductible from a claim payment.
• According to TDI's Home insurance guide, a company may nonrenew a home policy if you file three or more nonweather-related claims in three years, and it can't refuse to renew because of a third claim if it didn't tell you after two that you were in danger of nonrenewal.
• TDI's Home insurance guide says to make only temporary repairs after damage, because the insurance company might deny your claim if you make permanent repairs before it sees the damage.

Sources: Texas Department of Insurance, Auto insurance guide, Auto Insurance Glossary, Auto theft and insurance: How to protect your ride, Home insurance guide, FAQ: Homeowners insurance, claims, saving money, and more, and Will my premium go up if I file a claim?. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Take the next step

Before anything happens, check your auto policy for comprehensive coverage, find both deductibles, and read what your home policy says about vacancy. If you're reviewing the rest of your coverage, what home insurance doesn't cover in Texas and how to compare auto insurance in Texas are the guides to read next.

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