Usually covered — not always worth claiming
Graffiti is vandalism, and vandalism is a standard covered peril in most commercial property, strata and homeowner policies in BC. So the real questions are practical: what does a claim need, and when does claiming actually make sense? (The usual caveat applies: your policy's wording governs — this is general information, not insurance advice.)
What a clean claim requires
- Photos before cleanup — document the damage thoroughly; this is the single most important step and the most commonly skipped
- A police file number — insurers routinely ask for one for vandalism claims; a non-emergency online report takes minutes
- A professional invoice or estimate — itemized scope and cost from the removal contractor; our quotes and before/after documentation are written to serve exactly this purpose
- Prompt notice — policies require timely reporting; don't sit on it for a month
The deductible math
Here's the honest part: most single-tag removals cost less than a typical commercial deductible, so claiming gains nothing and can still count against your claims history. Insurance earns its keep on the big events — etched glass storefronts (see scratchiti), large-scale vandalism hitting multiple surfaces, or spree damage across a strata property. For routine tagging, the cheaper strategy is preventing the spend altogether: coatings on target walls and a fixed-fee program that turns incidents into a budget line instead of claims. Either way, photograph first and keep every record — the file costs nothing and preserves both options.