Editing Property damage

{{Short description|Damage or destruction of property caused by negligence, willful destruction, or act of nature}}
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[[File:2020augderecho-damaged-ag-structures-Marion-IA-2.jpg|thumb]]
{{Criminal law}}

'''Property damage''' (sometimes called '''damage to property''') is the damage or destruction of [[Real property|real]] or [[Tangible property|tangible]] [[Personal property|personal]] [[property]], caused by [[negligence]], [[Willful violation|willful]] destruction, or an [[Act of God|act of nature]]. '''Destruction of property''' (sometimes called '''property destruction''', or '''criminal damage''' in [[England]] and [[Wales]]) is a sub-type of property damage that involves damage to property that results from willful misconduct and is punishable as a crime.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Hörnle |editor1-first=Tatjana |editor2-last=Dubber |editor2-first=Markus D. |title=The Oxford Handbook of Criminal Law |date=2014 |publisher=OUP Oxford |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-0191654602}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=property damage |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/property_damage |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=LII / Legal Information Institute |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wagon |first=Tina |date=2024-04-09 |title=What is Considered Criminal Damage to Property |url=https://wheldonlaw.co.uk/what-is-considered-criminal-damage-to-property/ |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=Wheldon Law |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Destruction of property encompasses [[vandalism]] (deliberate damage, destruction, or defacement), [[building implosion]] (destroying property with explosives), and [[arson]] (destroying property with fire), and similar crimes that involve unlawful infliction of damage to or destruction of personal property or real property.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wright |first1=Richard |last2=Jacques |first2=Scott |title=Property Crime: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide |date=2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press, USA |location=St. Louis, MO |isbn=9780199805709 |page=11}}</ref>

== Property damage in insurance claims ==
Property damage also refers to loss of tangible property in insurance loss claims, related to residential and commercial buildings, as well as motor vehicles.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-04 |title=Loss of Use as Property Damage |url=https://www.irmi.com/articles/expert-commentary/loss-of-use-as-property-damage |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=www.irmi.com |language=en-US}}</ref> In motor vehicle accidents, typically there may be loss to structures, personal items, and vehicles, which would be referred to as property damage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Is Property Damage Handled in an Auto Accident? |url=https://vaughanandvaughan.com/faqs/how-is-property-damage-handled-in-an-auto-accident-claim/ |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=vaughanandvaughan.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Toney-Butler |first=Tammy J. |title=Motor Vehicle Collisions |date=2025 |work=StatPearls |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441955/ |access-date=2025-05-21 |place=Treasure Island (FL) |publisher=StatPearls Publishing |pmid=28722984 |last2=Varacallo |first2=Matthew A.}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Arson]]
*[[Building implosion]]
*[[Criminal damage in English law]]
*[[Mischief]]
*[[Vandalism]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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[[Category:Criminal law]]
[[Category:Property insurance]]
[[Category:Vandalism]]
[[Category:Problem behavior]]
[[Category:Property crimes]]


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