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SRCC: strikes, riot and civil commotion cover explained

Reviewed by the Apex broking team · Last reviewed 2026-10-16

SRCC (strikes, riot and civil commotion) is an insured peril covering physical loss or damage caused by people taking part in strikes, riots or civil disturbances. It matters because whether SRCC is included, excluded or added back decides who pays when disorder damages premises, stock or goods in transit.

Part of: Commercial property owners insurance

In short

SRCC cover pays for physical damage caused by strikers, rioters and people involved in civil commotion. In UK commercial property policies it is commonly included as a standard peril, often alongside malicious damage. In marine cargo it is usually excluded from the main clauses and added back through the Institute Strikes Clauses (Cargo). Business interruption normally follows only if SRCC damage is an insured peril. Separately, the Riot Compensation Act 2016 lets people in England and Wales claim from the local policing body for riot damage that is uninsured or underinsured, up to £1 million per claim. Terrorism is a different peril, usually handled through separate cover.

What SRCC means and how it works

SRCC is a bundle of related perils: damage caused by strikers or locked-out workers, by people taking part in a riot, and by people involved in civil commotion (disorder that falls short of a riot or rebellion). The cover is for physical loss or damage they cause. It is not cover for the financial effects of a strike, such as staff not turning up.

Policies often lean on the criminal law meaning of riot. Under section 1 of the Public Order Act 1986, a riot involves 12 or more people present together using or threatening unlawful violence for a common purpose, such that a person of reasonable firmness would fear for their safety. Violent disorder under section 2 needs only 3 or more people. Policy wordings define these terms differently, so your wording is what counts.

In practice, SRCC appears in three places:

Commercial property and combined policies, where riot, civil commotion, strikers and labour disturbances are commonly listed as insured perils, frequently next to malicious damage.
Marine cargo, where strikes risks are usually excluded from the standard cargo clauses and added back by the Institute Strikes Clauses (Cargo).
Business interruption, which usually responds only where the trading loss follows damage by an insured peril, so SRCC on the property section matters for the BI section too.

The Riot Compensation Act 2016

The Riot Compensation Act 2016 replaced the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 and extends to England and Wales. Under section 1, a person whose property was damaged, destroyed or stolen in a riot can claim compensation from the local policing body for the area, but only where the property was not insured, or not adequately insured. Property counts as not adequately insured if it was insured for less than its value or subject to an excess.

Insurers have their own route. Section 1(2) lets an insurer that has paid a claim for riot damage make a claim against the local policing body. The Act does not use the word subrogation, but the effect is a statutory recovery route for insurers that have paid out.

Key limits:

Cap: compensation is capped at £1 million per claim under section 8, a figure the Secretary of State can change by regulations.
Property: section 2 covers buildings, property in or around a building or on land used for the claimant's business, business property in a qualifying vehicle, and certain motor vehicles. For insurer claims, the only vehicles covered are those held as stock in trade.
Riot meaning: riot takes its Public Order Act 1986 meaning, excluding riots in prisons, certain secure hospitals and immigration removal facilities.
Losses not covered: government guidance for claimants says consequential losses such as loss of trade or rent are excluded, and personal injury goes to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.
Time limits: claims must be made quickly. The Riot Compensation Regulations 2017 set a short window from the end of the riot (or from the insurer's decision, if you claimed on insurance first), with a further period to provide evidence.

The Act is a safety net, not a substitute for insurance: insured property must go through the insurer first.

What it means in practice

These scenarios are illustrative only.

Retail unit during disorder: a shop window is smashed and stock is looted during a riot. A retail policy that includes riot and theft usually responds to the damage and stock, less the excess. The trading loss while the shop is boarded up may be covered under business interruption if the damage is an insured peril. The excess could form a claim under the Act; the lost trade could not.
Goods held at a port during a strike: a consignment sits on a quay during industrial action and is damaged by strikers. With the strikes clauses attached, the physical damage is usually covered. Losses from the delay itself, or from a shortage of labour caused by the strike, are commonly excluded.
Uninsured landlord: a building owner with no cover suffers riot damage. They could claim under the Act within the time limits, subject to the £1 million cap, but would have no help with lost rent.

How insurance responds

How SRCC is handled varies by class, and is always subject to the policy terms.

Policy	Usual position on SRCC	Common gaps
Commercial property / combined	Commonly included as a standard peril with malicious damage	Unoccupied buildings, excesses, underinsurance, territorial restrictions
Business interruption	Follows insured damage at the premises; some policies extend to denial of access	Strikes with no physical damage; short indemnity periods
Marine cargo	Excluded from the main clauses, added back by the strikes clauses	Delay, loss of market, labour shortage
Terrorism	Usually excluded from property, bought separately	Events not certified as terrorism fall back to the main policy

Check the sum insured carefully. An average clause can reduce a riot claim if the property is underinsured, and the shortfall may then only partly be recoverable under the Act. If you rely on an all risks or named perils wording, check whether riot and civil commotion are expressly covered or excluded.

For goods in transit by sea or air, check that strikes cover sits alongside your Institute Cargo Clauses, and whether war risks are covered separately; a war exclusion is a different exclusion from SRCC.

SRCC vs malicious damage vs terrorism

Malicious damage is deliberate damage by an individual and does not need a crowd. It is commonly restricted or excluded where a building is unoccupied, and policies often exclude damage by people lawfully on the premises.
Riot and civil commotion need collective disorder. Damage by a lone vandal on the same night as a riot may fall under malicious damage, not riot, which matters if the two perils carry different excesses or exclusions.
Terrorism is usually excluded from commercial property policies and insured separately. In Great Britain, much commercial terrorism cover is reinsured through Pool Re, a reinsurer backed by HM Treasury. According to Pool Re, its scheme responds only where HM Treasury certifies an act of terrorism. See our guide to terrorism insurance for more.

What to check

Is riot, civil commotion, strikers and labour disturbances listed as an insured peril, and how are those terms defined?
Does malicious damage carry a separate excess or an unoccupancy restriction?
Does business interruption follow SRCC damage, and is there a denial of access extension?
For cargo, are the Institute Strikes Clauses attached, and what is excluded for delay?
Are sums insured adequate, so average does not cut the claim?
Do you need separate terrorism cover?
If disorder happens, notify your insurer quickly and keep records, because the Act's time limits are short. If your insurer pays, it may pursue its own claim under the Act, a form of recovery running alongside yours for any uninsured part.

Sources

Frequently asked

What does SRCC stand for in insurance?

SRCC stands for strikes, riots and civil commotion. It describes physical loss or damage caused by strikers, locked-out workers, rioters and people involved in civil disturbances. It appears as an insured peril in many commercial property policies and as an add-back to marine cargo cover through the Institute Strikes Clauses.

Does business insurance cover riot damage?

Most UK commercial property and combined policies commonly include riot and civil commotion as insured perils, subject to excesses, sums insured and exclusions such as unoccupancy. Business interruption usually follows if the damage is an insured peril. Check the wording, because definitions and restrictions vary between policies.

Can I claim from the police for riot damage?

In England and Wales, the Riot Compensation Act 2016 lets you claim from the local policing body for riot damage that was uninsured or not adequately insured, including your excess. Compensation is capped at £1 million per claim, consequential losses such as lost trade are excluded, and strict time limits apply.

Can insurers recover riot claims under the Riot Compensation Act?

Yes. Section 1(2) of the Act allows an insurer that has paid a claim for riot damage to claim against the local policing body. The Act does not call this subrogation, but it works as a statutory recovery route for the insurer, subject to the same property rules and the compensation cap.

Is terrorism covered under SRCC?

Not usually in property insurance. Commercial property policies commonly exclude terrorism, and it is bought as separate cover, often reinsured in Great Britain through Pool Re where HM Treasury certifies an act of terrorism. The marine cargo strikes clauses are different and include certain acts of terrorism.

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Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information, not advice on your individual circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.