Does landlord insurance cover riot damage?
Yes. Steadily’s landlord insurance covers property damage from riots and civil commotion — broken windows, structural fires, looted common areas — so the repair costs don’t fall entirely on you. Documentation connecting the damage to the civil unrest is required.
Types of riot and civil commotion coverage for rental properties
Civil commotion insurance protects your rental investment from the wide-ranging destruction that unrest can cause. This includes protection for:
- Structural damage from fires set during civil disturbances
- Broken windows, doors, and entry points from rioters and looters
- Smoke and water damage from fires or firefighting efforts during unrest
- Vandalism and graffiti damage occurring during organized civil commotion
A few limitations matter when coverage actually applies:
- Coverage applies to sudden and accidental damage from civil unrest, not gradual deterioration
- The civil commotion must involve multiple people acting together, not isolated incidents
- You must document the connection between civil unrest and your property damage
- Some policies may exclude damage if you participated in or incited the civil disturbance
Riot claims involve a documentation step that most other perils don’t require. You need to establish that the damage happened during a recognized period of civil unrest — not just that damage occurred. Police reports and local news coverage are typically what insurers look for, and official emergency declarations or curfew orders carry even more weight. The more clearly you can connect your specific property damage to the documented unrest event, the cleaner the claim tends to go.
Situations where riot and civil commotion coverage may not apply
Riot coverage has real value, but certain situations fall outside its scope:
- War, revolution, or government-sanctioned military action (excluded under most policies)
- Damage from nuclear hazards or acts of terrorism (requires separate coverage)
- Losses occurring outside the United States or its territories
- Damage to vacant properties beyond policy occupancy requirements (typically 30–60 days)
How riot and civil commotion coverage works in practice
Civil unrest can cause significant property damage quickly — broken windows, looted common areas, structural fires. Here’s what a standard landlord policy covers when unrest hits your rental, what the exclusions look like, and what documentation makes a riot claim go smoothly.
How much riot and civil commotion coverage do I need?
No single formula determines the right coverage amount for every landlord. Your riot insurance limits should reflect your property's full replacement cost, since civil unrest can cause extensive structural damage through fires, broken windows, and vandalism. Base your coverage on your property's rebuilding cost, local construction expenses, and the potential severity of damage during a civil disturbance.
When calculating your needs, document your property's current replacement value and account for any recent upgrades or improvements. Consider how quickly contractors can respond after widespread unrest—riot damage often affects multiple properties at once, which can push repair timelines out significantly. Most DP1 and DP3 policies include riot and civil commotion as a standard covered peril under your dwelling coverage limits.
Your coverage limit should also account for a competitive contractor market following civil disturbances. Local building costs, permit processing delays after widespread damage, and your property's construction complexity all factor in. Talking through dwelling coverage limits with your insurance agent helps ensure your rental property investment is protected when civil unrest strikes.
One practical detail landlords often don’t account for: when civil unrest hits a neighborhood, it rarely hits just one property. Repair timelines stretch because local contractors are booked, permit offices are processing higher volumes, and materials costs can spike. If you’re setting your coverage limits based on how long a typical repair takes, build in some buffer. Post-riot repairs in affected areas often take longer than normal conditions would suggest.
Property caught in the middle: riot and civil unrest damage at rental properties
Defaced property
Looting in building common areas
Fire damage from civil unrest incidents
Damaged doors and windows
Frequently Asked Questions
Does riot coverage include both structural and contents damage?
Riot coverage under your dwelling protection covers structural damage to the building itself — broken windows, damaged roofs, fire damage to walls and framing, anything that’s part of the physical structure. Personal property you own at the rental, like appliances, maintenance equipment, or furnishings in common areas, may be covered under your personal property limit if it’s damaged during the unrest. Those are two separate coverage buckets, and it’s worth knowing what falls into each before you file. Tenant belongings aren’t covered either way — that’s their renters insurance.
Do I need to prove the damage was caused by riots?
Yes, and this is where riot claims differ from most others. You need to establish a clear connection between your damage and a documented civil disturbance — not just that damage occurred. Police reports and local news coverage are the standard starting points. Official emergency declarations or curfew orders carry even more weight when your city issued them. Once you can show the damage happened during a recognized unrest event, and that the event qualifies as civil commotion under your policy’s definition (typically requires multiple people acting together), you’re in solid territory. Insurers verify the event, not just the damage.
Are there any exclusions to riot and civil commotion coverage?
Yes. War, revolution, government military action, nuclear incidents, and terrorism are all excluded — those are hard exclusions that won’t pay out regardless of how similar the damage looks to riot damage. The terrorism exclusion is worth understanding in particular: if a civil disturbance escalates to a point where it’s formally categorized as an act of terrorism under your policy’s definitions, standard riot coverage may not apply. Damage must also occur within the United States, and standard vacancy provisions still apply — properties unoccupied for more than 30–60 days may have limited or no coverage.
What's the difference between riot coverage and vandalism coverage?
The practical difference matters when you’re filing a claim. Vandalism coverage applies to isolated criminal acts — a single break-in, someone tagging your fence, a tenant trashing the unit. Riot coverage kicks in when the damage is part of organized civil unrest involving multiple people acting together. If your property is damaged during a documented protest that turned destructive, that’s riot coverage. If your windows get smashed on a random Tuesday with no civil disturbance in the area, that’s vandalism. The line is usually obvious, but in edge cases — damage at the fringe of a larger protest, for instance — the documentation you’ve gathered is what settles it. Both are covered under standard DP1 and DP3 policies.
Does landlord insurance cover riot and civil commotion damage?
Yes, both DP1 and DP3 landlord policies include riot and civil commotion as a standard named peril. Coverage applies when your property sustains damage from organized civil unrest — fires, broken windows, looted common areas, or structural damage from groups acting together. The key requirement is documentation: you need to show the damage happened during a recognized period of civil disturbance, not just that damage occurred. Once that’s established, your standard coverage limits apply — dwelling coverage handles the structural damage, personal property coverage handles what you own at the property, and loss of rent coverage activates if the damage makes the unit uninhabitable.
What else does Steadily cover?
We cover a wide range of risks, or you can choose a limited set of coverages for a lower premium
Vandalism & burglary
Covers damage made to your rental property by a burglar or a vandal, such as broken windows or defacements made to walls or exterior structures.
Loss of rent
Covers lost rental income for when your rental becomes uninhabitable due to covered perils, or while the repairs are being made.
Storm and hail
Covers damage to your rental property caused by storms, hail, wind and lightning - such as fallen trees or hail punctures in roofing structures.
Water
Covers certain water damage not caused by flooding, including burst pipes, HVAC leaks and plumbing overflows.
Legal liability
Covers legal fees and costs if a tenant or guest is injured at your rental property, or if they make a legal claim against you.
Fire
Covers damage from fire, smoke and related events, such as wildfires, accidental kitchen fires or electrical fires caused by malfunctioning appliances.
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