Discover how, as riot and civil unrest risks evolve, specialist insurance can help protect property, people and operations where conventional cover may leave potentially costly gaps.
Civil unrest can develop quickly, sometimes with little warning. For property owners and businesses, the consequences can extend well beyond physical damage to buildings. Restricted access, reduced customer footfall, interrupted operations and looting can all create significant financial losses. For brokers, insurers, MGAs and InsurTechs looking to protect clients against these exposures, understanding exactly what existing policies cover – and where specialist protection may be required – is increasingly important. Costero Brokers can help you identify those gaps and access tailored solutions at Lloyd’s and across the global insurance market.
Civil unrest is an evolving risk
Strikes, riots and civil commotion – often grouped together in the insurance market as SRCC – are not new risks. What is changing is the frequency, scale and unpredictability of unrest in many parts of the world.
Analysis by conflict research organisation ACLED of more than one million protests and riots over recent years found a steady rise. In the US specifically, it recorded a 77% increase in demonstrations during 2025 compared with 2024, the highest level since 2020. (Source: ACLED 2026 reports January and July)
Not all protests automatically lead to disorder, but some events can escalate rapidly and have serious consequences for nearby businesses and property.
In Newport Beach, California, Fourth of July celebrations in 2026 saw thousands of people converge on the Balboa Peninsula, amid reports that viral social media activity had helped draw crowds. Roads were blocked, fireworks were thrown, property was damaged and merchandise was taken from a grocery store. Police declared an unlawful assembly and 402 arrests were made over the holiday period. (Source: Los Angeles Times)
For insurance buyers and their advisers, incidents like this underline an important point: civil disorder can take many forms, and the distinction between a protest, riot, civil commotion, malicious damage or politically motivated event can become very important when a claim reaches the wording of an insurance policy.
Engaging a Political Violence specialist broker can help an insured navigate these nuances and breadths of coverage, while minimising incurred cost.
When conventional property insurance may not be enough
The first question is simple: does the existing property policy actually cover riot and civil commotion?
The answer cannot be assumed. Some conventional property policies provide SRCC protection, while others restrict or exclude it. Coverage can also depend upon the circumstances and definitions surrounding an event. Sometimes when SRCC is included in the Property cover, it excludes ‘politically-motivated’ SRCC.
This is becoming increasingly significant as insurers respond to a changing loss environment. Insured losses associated with strikes, riots and civil commotion rose from negligible levels in 2013 to more than USD $8 billion worldwide between 2020 and 2024. Some property insurers have responded to elevated risk by restricting or excluding SRCC coverage. (Source: Insurance Journal)
Even when physical damage is insured, that may only be part of the potential loss. Imagine that business premises escape damage but police close the surrounding streets for several days. Employees cannot get in, customers stay away and revenue falls. Alternatively, a disturbance some distance away may make an entire shopping, entertainment or hospitality district unattractive to visitors.
That is where looking closely at specialist coverage becomes important.
What can specialist riot and civil commotion insurance cover?
Standalone riot and civil commotion protection can be tailored around the risks an organisation actually faces. Depending on the wording and circumstances, cover can include:
- Physical damage: Damage to insured property arising from an insured riot, strike, civil commotion or malicious damage event.
- Business interruption: Loss of income resulting from insured physical damage.
- Denial of access: Business interruption where an insured event prevents or restricts access to premises.
- Loss of attraction: Losses where an incident nearby reduces footfall or makes customers less likely to visit a location.
- Looting: Loss arising from looting following an insured occurrence.
You can also explore extensions such as customers and suppliers, utilities, extra expenses and threat or hoax coverage, depending on the exposure and the insurance solution required.
The right solution is not necessarily about buying more insurance. It is about understanding what your existing programme already does, identifying a genuine gap and then deciding whether a specialist placement provides a more appropriate way to fill it.
For example, situations arise where property markets remain prepared to include riot cover but require a significant additional premium to do so. In such circumstances, it may be worthwhile testing whether a standalone specialist policy can provide the required protection more efficiently.
Why Lloyd’s of London matters for civil unrest risk
Riot and civil unrest sit naturally within the specialist expertise of the Lloyd’s and wider London market.
The Lloyd’s Market Association has a dedicated Terrorism and Political Violence Committee whose underwriters deal with terrorism, sabotage, strikes, riots, civil commotion, insurrection, war and other forms of politically motivated violence. London market wordings also specifically address combinations of riots, strikes, civil commotion, malicious damage, terrorism and sabotage. (Source: Lloyd’s Market Association)
This breadth of consideration is important. Real-world events do not always fit conveniently into one category. An incident may begin as a peaceful gathering, become a riot, involve malicious damage or looting, or overlap with a wider politically motivated event. Understanding which perils are included, excluded and defined by the policy is therefore fundamental.
Lloyd’s brings together specialist syndicates with different appetites and expertise, allowing Lloyd’s brokers to seek coverage for risks that may not fit neatly into conventional insurance programmes. Lloyd’s brokers use their specialist knowledge to negotiate terms and conditions and seek coverage from appropriate underwriters in the market. (Source: Lloyd’s)
Finding the right cover – and the right Lloyd’s broker
For brokers, insurers, MGAs and InsurTechs, accessing specialist capacity is only one part of the challenge. You also need to know which markets to approach, how to present the exposure and what wording your client actually needs.
An experienced Lloyd’s broker can examine existing insurance arrangements, identify possible SRCC gaps, distinguish between the different political violence and civil unrest perils and approach underwriters with the appetite and expertise to consider the risk.
Costero Brokers’ Crisis Management team specialises in these complex exposures, including riots, strikes, civil commotion, malicious damage, terrorism, sabotage and broader political violence. We combine direct Lloyd’s market access with the ability to develop bespoke solutions around individual client requirements.
Civil unrest cannot always be predicted – and neither can the form it will take. But insurance protection can be examined before the crowds gather, the roads close or the damage occurs.
To learn more about protecting property, people and operations against riot and civil unrest risks, contact Costero Brokers and speak to Freddie Tyler in our Crisis Management insurance team.
