Are Bullet Holes Covered By Renters Insurance?

An article on the WHIO site today makes this question quite relevant.  The people living in an apartment building in the 1700 block of West Grand in Dayton probably are asking this very question right now: Are bullet holes covered by renters insurance?

It’s worth pointing out, also from the article, that by the time anyone arrived to investigate, the owner was already in the process of repairing damaged drywall.  While we’re sure the tenants are thrilled that the owner is so on top of maintenance that he got there before the police did, it probably hampered the investigation more than a little bit.

Are Bullet Holes Covered By Renters Insurance?

Renters insurance is generally on what’s called a named perils basis.  That means that the policy covers losses resulting from certain causes of loss, also called renters insurance perils, that are named in the policy document.  If the damage didn’t occur from one of those perils, it’s not covered.

Bullet holes are definitely not in the list of covered perils.

But it’s also possible to get coverage on an open perils basis, generally for very little additional cost.  If you did that, would it be covered?  It’s quite possible.  Open perils coverage insures against “risk of direct physical loss” to the property in question.

The other question to ask in a situation like this is whether any personal property was damaged.  The building owner’s policy may or may not cover the damage, depending whether it’s open perils or named perils.  While little is known for sure, it seems that no property of residents was damaged during the incident.  With that in mind, there really wouldn’t be anything to cover.

Obviously, Ohio renters insurance only offers coverage if there’s a loss that should be paid.  In this case, there may not have been any loss to the residents at all.  But Dayton renters insurance does cover many common risks that tenants face, such as fire, theft, and vandalism.  We suppose an argument could be made for coverage to tenant property damaged by gunshots under the peril of vandalism or malicious mischief, but that would work only if the shots were fired “for fun” or just to cause damage.  If they were attempting to shoot an individual and missed, that’s still not likely a covered loss.

To find out more about what is covered under Dayton renters insurance, or under what circumstances bullets might be a covered peril, call (800)892-4308 or click to get covered - whether you need Ohio renters insurance quotes online or coverage anywhere else!

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