Apartment Vandalized and No Renters Insurance? 5 Steps to Take Right Now

Call the police before you touch anything. Document every inch of the damage while it’s still intact. Notify your landlord in writing today.

That’s the short version. If you have a few more minutes, this guide covers who’s actually responsible for the damage, what you’re probably on the hook for, and how to protect yourself when there’s no policy to fall back on.

What should you do immediately if your apartment is vandalized?

If your apartment was just vandalized, these steps in the first hour protect your evidence, your legal options, and your financial recovery.

Step 1: Call the police and get a report number

File the report the same day. Give the responding officer as much detail as you can: what was damaged, what was taken, when you think it happened, and whether you saw or heard anything. Ask for the case number before they leave. You’ll need it for everything that follows.

If the responding officer can’t give you a copy on the spot, ask how to request one. Most departments let you request a copy online or in person within a few days. Keep that report somewhere safe.

Step 2: Document everything before you touch anything

⚠️Stop. Don’t clean up, board anything, or move a single item yet.

The broken glass, damaged locks, graffiti, and destroyed belongings are evidence. A police officer, adjuster, or attorney needs to see it first. Once it’s cleaned up, it’s gone, and so is your proof.

Good vandalism documentation includes:

• Wide-angle photos of each affected room.
• Close-ups of specific damage: broken windows, graffiti, damaged property.
• A video walkthrough with narration describing what you’re seeing.
• A written inventory of damaged or destroyed items with estimated values.
• Timestamps on everything.

Back up everything to cloud storage immediately. If your phone gets lost or damaged, you don’t want to lose your only documentation.

Step 3: Notify your landlord in writing

Call or text your landlord to let them know what happened, but follow up with an email or written notice the same day. Put the date, a description of the damage, and your request for repairs in writing. This creates a paper trail, which matters a lot if repairs are slow or you later need to make a negligence argument.

Step 4: Request security footage immediately

Contact building management in writing and ask them to preserve any camera footage from the time of the vandalism. Most systems overwrite footage within 24 to 72 hours. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, and that footage may be the only evidence that establishes how the vandalism occurred and whether a building security failure played a role.

Step 5: Track every expense from this point forward

Boarding materials, a temporary lock, a hotel night if the unit feels unsafe. Save every receipt. If landlord negligence is ever disputed, this paper trail is your evidence. If you pursue a claim later, documented expenses are what get you paid.

Who should you contact when your apartment is vandalized?

Here’s who to reach out to:

1. Police: file the report before anything else.
2. Your landlord: in writing, immediately. Structural damage is their repair responsibility.
3. Building management: to request security footage and formally document the incident.
4. A tenant rights organization: if the landlord is slow to act or disputes responsibility.
5. Emergency services (911): only if there’s an active safety risk or someone is injured.

Who is responsible for vandalism damage in an apartment?

Here’s the honest answer: it depends on what was damaged.

Scenario 1: Structural damage, the landlord’s responsibility

Your landlord is legally responsible for maintaining the structure and security of the building. That means they’re on the hook for broken windows, damaged or broken doors and door frames, compromised locks and deadbolts, building entry points, and graffiti on exterior walls or common areas.

These repairs need to happen promptly. A unit with a broken window or non-functional lock may be considered uninhabitable. If your landlord drags their feet and the unit is genuinely unsafe, you may have grounds to request rent abatement. Put that request in writing.

Scenario 2: Personal property, your responsibility

Your furniture, electronics, clothing, jewelry, and other personal belongings are your responsibility, not your landlord’s. If someone smashed your TV, slashed your couch, or spray-painted your bedroom walls from the inside, those costs fall on you. Without renters insurance, you’re paying out of pocket.

Scenario 3: Landlord negligence changed everything

If you reported security problems to your landlord in writing before the vandalism happened, such as a broken lock, a busted entry gate, or poor lighting in the parking lot, and your landlord didn’t fix them, you may have a legitimate negligence argument. That doesn’t guarantee reimbursement, but it significantly strengthens your case.

Strong examples of prior written notice include:

• An email reporting a broken front door lock that was never fixed.
• A text thread showing you flagged a broken window latch weeks earlier.
• A maintenance request that was submitted but never completed.
• A prior police report for vandalism or break-ins at the same property.

Without prior written complaints, a negligence argument is much harder to make. This is a lesson most renters learn the hard way: always document security concerns in writing, and keep copies of every communication.

The landlord’s policy myth

Pro tip: Most renters assume their landlord’s insurance has them covered. It doesn’t.

Your landlord’s policy protects their investment: the walls, the doors, the building’s structure. It does not cover your laptop, your TV, your furniture, or any other personal property that was damaged or destroyed. That’s not a loophole. It’s just how property insurance works. Only a renters insurance policy covers your stuff if vandalized.

How much does vandalism damage cost without renters insurance?

Did You Know?

Vandalism is one of the most common claims Lemonade renters file. The average payout for this type of claim is $319.59 (Based on Lemonade internal claims data from 2026) 

Here is a realistic breakdown of what apartment vandalism repair costs typically look like out of pocket:

Expense	Without renters insurance	With renters insurance
Smashed TV	~$500 to $1,500+	Covered under Personal Property
Damaged or destroyed laptop	~$800 to $2,000+	Covered under Personal Property
Slashed furniture (couch, bed frame)	~$300 to $1,500+	Covered under Personal Property
Spray-painted or ruined clothing	~$100 to $500+	Covered under Personal Property
Emergency hotel stay (if uninhabitable)	~$150 to $300/night	Covered under Loss of Use
Legal fees (if liability disputed)	$300+/hr	$0
Total	~$800 to $3,500+	Your deductible only (up to policy limits)

That’s a lot of money to spend on something a policy starting from $5/month would have covered.

Note: Structural repairs (broken windows, damaged doors, locks, and graffiti removal) are your landlord’s responsibility to fix. The costs below reflect damage to your personal property, which renters insurance is specifically designed to cover.

Will someone else’s insurance cover your damaged belongings?

If your landlord is found negligent, their insurer will likely pay out Actual Cash Value (ACV), meaning what your items are worth today, not what it costs to replace them.

ACV reflects depreciation. A TV you paid $800 for two years ago might pay out around $250. The rest is yours to cover.

Here’s what that gap looks like in practice:

Item	What you paid	What ACV pays out	Your out-of-pocket gap
Laptop	$1,200	~$400	~$800
TV	$800	~$250	~$550
Sofa	$1,000	~$350	~$650
Total	$3,000	~$1,000	~$2,000

The gap between those columns is yours to cover. Renters insurance with replacement cost coverage closes it entirely.

What are your options if you can’t afford the costs?

If you’re facing out-of-pocket losses with no coverage to fall back on, here’s what you can do:

• File the police report first. Required for any claim, civil process, or landlord dispute. Without it, you’re starting from scratch.
• Pursue a landlord negligence claim if documented security failures enabled the vandalism. Prior written complaints are your strongest asset.
• Contact a local tenant rights organization. They’re usually free, fast, and on your side. If your landlord is slow to restore security, a habitability argument may apply.
• Request rent abatement in writing if the unit is genuinely uninhabitable during the repair period.
• Consider small claims court if landlord negligence can be clearly established and documented. Amounts under your state’s threshold can be pursued without an attorney.
• Dial 2-1-1. Your city’s 211 hotline can connect you with local emergency housing programs and tenant advocacy resources quickly.

📍 Check your state, your rights may be stronger than you think. Tenant protections vary a lot depending on where you live.

How to prevent vandalism damage in your apartment

While you can’t always stop an act of vandalism, you can significantly reduce your financial exposure:

• Report any broken building entry doors, malfunctioning locks, or security concerns to your landlord in writing immediately. That paper trail matters.
• Request security camera footage promptly after any incident. Most footage is overwritten within 24 to 72 hours.
• Keep a secure cloud backup of your personal property inventory: photos, serial numbers, and receipts. It makes any future claim significantly faster to process.
• Install a door reinforcement kit as a secondary security layer. They cost under $50 and meaningfully increase forced entry resistance.

The single most effective thing you can do, though, is get covered before something happens. Every line on that cost table above, your laptop, your TV, your furniture, even temporary housing, is exactly what a renters policy exists to handle.

How long does it take to recover from apartment vandalism?

The police report and initial documentation can be completed same-day. Structural repairs, broken windows, locks, and doors, typically take a few days to a week once the landlord acts. Personal property replacement takes as long as it takes to afford it without coverage.

If you’re pursuing a landlord negligence claim, resolution can take months. Small claims court adds more time on top of that. The earlier you document and act, the shorter the timeline on every front.

Before we go…

Getting your apartment vandalized is stressful, disorienting, and expensive, especially without insurance. But working through it methodically makes a real difference. 

Going forward, a renters insurance policy is the simplest way to make sure a situation like this doesn’t cost you thousands out of pocket again. Vandalism is a named peril under most standard policies, meaning it’s specifically covered. A quote takes as little as 90 seconds. And if something like this ever happens again, you won’t be facing it alone.

Apartment vandalism FAQs

A few quick words, because we <3 our lawyers: This post is general in nature, and any statement in it doesn’t alter the terms, conditions, exclusions, or limitations of the policies issued, which differ according to your state of residence. You’re encouraged to discuss your specific circumstances with your own professional advisors. The purpose of this post is merely to provide you with info and insights you can use to make such discussions more productive! Naturally, all comments by, or references to, third parties represent their own views, and Lemonade assumes no responsibility for them. Coverage may not be available in all states. Please note that statements about coverages, policy management, claims processes, Giveback, and customer support apply to policies underwritten by Lemonade Insurance Company or Metromile Insurance Company, a Lemonade company, sold by Lemonade Insurance Agency, LLC.  The statements do not apply to policies underwritten by other carriers.