Seven Day Reporting Deadline For Claims Relating To Riot Damage

The local police authority has a legal responsibility to reimburse persons who sustain damage to property as the result of a riot under the Riot Damages Act 1886.

The wording of the statute is explicit, in that any claim under the Act must “be made in writing and received by the local police authority within 14 days of the alleged incident”.

It is therefore likely that insurers will include a clause requiring that they are notified regarding claims for riot and/or civil commotion within seven days of the incident occurring.  This is to prevent a recovery action being turned down by the police authority on basis that the action is time barred.

When notifying Insurers, policyholders must also be able to quantify and substantiate their losses with potentially both a schedule of loss and statement of truth within a week of the incident occurring.

We strongly urge policyholders to take immediate action when notifying a claim relating to the recent riots.

While the Act does provide for an application to be made to request an extension, the decision to provide this rests with the local police authority alone.

The Act excludes liability for loss of damage to cars left on public highways, goods left in shops for repair and/or consequential losses. All claims would be assessed in accordance with common law, which may not correlate directly to the basis of settlement provided for by the insurance contract.

Please see the attached link for more details on the Act or contact us with any concerns.