Riot: insured?

Have you sustained loss and/or damage as a result of the riots?

Insurers tell us that in most cases this would be covered under a commerical or personal insurance policy under the insured peril of Riot and Civil Commotion. However the key issue is to ensure that there is a very prompt notification of the claim to the police. The Riot and Damages Act requires notification to the Police within the first 14 days of the event. 

Policy wordings will usually include a clause to protect the insurer’s ability to "subrogate" against the police and will exclude primary cover if this prompt notification condition is not met by the insured. 

Insurers are advising customers and brokers to report any potential claim from the weekends events and any future events immediately to insurers to ensure that their coverage is preserved.

The 1886 Riot Damages Act defines Riot as circumstances : 

1) Where twelve or more persons who are present together use of threaten unlawful violence for a common purpose and the conduct of them (taken together) is such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his personal safety, each of the persons using unlawful violence for the common purpose is guilty of riot. 

2) It is immaterial whether or not the twelve or more use or threaten unlawful violence simultaneously. 

3) The common purpose may be inferred from conduct. 

4) No person of reasonable firmness need actually be, or be likely to be, present at the scene. 

5) Riot may be committed in private as well as public places. 

Those members covered by Towergate Insurance can contact the company on 0844 892 1330.

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