Legal Definitions - Property damage

Property damage refers to any harm, destruction, or loss inflicted upon something owned by an individual or entity. This legal term encompasses damage to both real property, which includes land and anything permanently attached to it (like buildings or structures), and personal property, which refers to movable items (such as vehicles, furniture, or electronic devices).

Here are some examples illustrating different contexts of property damage:

• Example 1 (Real Property - Vandalism): Imagine a scenario where a group of individuals breaks into a vacant office building, spray-paints extensive graffiti across the interior walls, and smashes several light fixtures and windows. This act constitutes property damage because it involves the deliberate harm and defacement of a permanent structure (real property) owned by someone else, diminishing its value and requiring costly repairs.

• Example 2 (Personal Property - Negligence): Consider a situation where a delivery driver, while unloading a package, carelessly drops a customer's newly purchased, high-definition television, causing the screen to crack and render it inoperable. This is an instance of property damage as the driver's negligence resulted in the destruction of a movable item (personal property) belonging to the customer, making it unusable.

• Example 3 (Real Property - Natural Event): During a severe hailstorm, large hailstones impact the roof of a family home, creating numerous dents and punctures that compromise its integrity and lead to leaks. This event is classified as property damage because the natural phenomenon caused physical harm to a permanent structure (real property), necessitating repairs to restore its condition and function.