It’s a scenario that has happened all over the country.
The owner of a small restaurant or boutique just gets the store ready after the long coronavirus quarantine and then, a riot. Windows smashed. Building vandalized. The entire inventory ransacked and stolen.
Were they finished for good?
For the insured, there was good news in May and June and for those whose enterprises were not hit, there were lessons learned.
Business Insurance
A standard Business Owners Policy typically covers fire, riots, civil commotion or vandalism. Plate glass insurance can be purchased separately. The key is whether the insurance was sufficient to cover all losses, including inventory and equipment. According to the Insurance Information Institute, some small business owners, cutting costs after the virus quarantine left them without income, may have discontinued insurance policies.
Income Interruption Insurance
Business Interruption Insurance pays for loss of income when businesses are forced to close because of rioting or some physical damage to the premises. However, according to the Institute, only about 40 percent of small businesses have this coverage.
Businesses have to document their income and expected loss from the looting. If a business was closed due to the virus outbreak, and then was looted, most insurers will assess the loss based on a 12-month income picture, according to the Claims Journal.
Outlook for Business Insurance
Property losses were still ongoing, but with rioting taking its toll on cities across the country, insurers were estimating losses to be the biggest in U.S. history, the Claims Journal reported in June.
For the insurance industry, the timing of the riots is especially difficult since the Atlantic hurricane season began in June. Hurricane and flood claims are extremely high.
Most observers expected insurance premiums to rise overall while the industry limits coverage. Insurers are likely to stop writing policies that cover looting and rioting.
