Has your home or business been affected by a riot?

The Riot Compensation Act 2016 (RCA) gives victims of criminal damage or loss during a riot the right to compensation. It is designed to allow communities to recover quickly from the impact of rioting.

What is the Riot Compensation Act 2016?

If your property is not adequately insured you can claim compensation under the RCA from the local police 'claims authority'. For Merseyside, this is the Police and Crime Commissioner or PCC for the region.

To qualify for compensation, victims must demonstrate that the damage or loss they have suffered was as a result of a riot.

Not all instances of damage or loss that occur during a period of civil disturbance will meet the criteria for compensation under the RCA.

This page contains basic information on how to claim.

For more detailed guidance visit GOV.UK or click here to view the Riot Compensation Guidance

What can I claim?

If you hold insurance for property that is damaged or stolen in a riot, you must claim via your insurance company first.

You can only submit an RCA claim for these items if all or part of your insurance claim is rejected.

If you are an owner of a building affected by a riot, you can claim for damage to the building’s structure.

If you are a tenant/occupier of an address affected by a riot, you can claim for your damaged/stolen contents.

You can also claim for damaged or stolen:

  • business items stored in a vehicle
  • stock-in-trade vehicles
  • underinsured vehicles

The RCA does not cover:

  • personal items held outside of a building
  • consequential loss e.g. loss of trade or rent
  • personal injury - this is dealt with by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA)

It is important to be aware that not all damage that occurs during a disturbance will meet the definition of riot damage and that each claim will be assessed on its own merits.

How do I claim?

  1. Your property is damaged or stolen in a riot.

  2. Report the crime to the police.

  3. If your home is uninhabitable contact the claims authority about alternative accommodation payments.

  4. If your damaged or stolen property is insured, make a claim with your insurance company.

  5. If your damaged or stolen property is not insured, or if your insurer confirms you are not fully covered, access the RCA claim form.

  6. Send your claim to the claims authority in the area that the riot happened.

  7. Send supporting documentation to the claims authority.

Deadlines and supporting evidence

Claim Deadlines

You have 43 days to make your RCA claim from the date the riot ends, i.e. from the Riot Reference Date

The Government has now set the Riot Reference Date as 7th August - which means the deadline for receiving claims is now 19th September 2024.

This period is simply the period within which you must have made an RCA claim. Further details and supporting evidence can be submitted separately and after your claim has been submitted, but must be received by the claims authority within 91 days from the day on which the claims authority received your RCA claim.

If you make an insurance claim first, you have 43 days to make your RCA claim from the date your insurer tells you that you are not fully covered.

Supporting evidence

You will need to show evidence of the losses you are claiming for.

This may include:

  • receipts
  • purchase invoices
  • bank statements
  • financial records
  • photographic evidence
  • building estimates
  • surveyor’s report
  • letter from insurer
  • loss adjuster report

Further details and supporting evidence can be submitted separately and after the claim, but this must be within 91 days from the date your RCA claim is received.

Flexibility on these deadlines will be given in exceptional circumstances.

Please retain the original copies of the evidence submitted.

Make a claim

To make a claim for 2024, it must be in relation to one of the areas affected:

  • Southport on 30th July 2024
  • Liverpool City Centre on 3rd August 2024
  • County Road on 3rd August 2024

Please note further criteria will be used to assess each claim to ensure that the damage took place by the known riot activity, as well as meeting the definition of riot damage.

Riot reference date: 7th August 2024

Deadline for receiving claims: 19th September 2024

Submit a Riot Compensation Claim electronically

If you would prefer to complete a paper copy, please click here to download a form. 

This should then be posted to:

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner,
Mather Avenue Training Centre 
Mather Avenue,
Liverpool,
L18 9TG.

If you would like assistance to complete this form, please call 0151 777 5155.