what is all risks 
 all risks refers to a type of insurance coverage that automatically covers any risk that the contract does not explicitly omit for example if an all risk homeowner s policy does not expressly exclude flood coverage then the house will be covered in the event of flood damage this type of policy is found only in the property casualty market understanding all risksinsurance providers generally offer two types of property coverage for homeowners and businesses named perils and all risks a named perils insurance contract only covers the perils stipulated explicitly in the policy for example an insurance contract might specify that any home loss caused by fire or vandalism will be covered therefore an insured who experiences a loss or damage caused by a flood cannot file a claim to his or her insurance provider as a flood is not named as a peril under the insurance coverage under a named perils policy the burden of proof is on the insured an all risks insurance contract covers the insured from all perils except the ones specifically excluded from the list contrary to a named perils contract an all risks policy does not name the risks covered but instead names the risks not covered in so doing any peril not named in the exclusions list is automatically covered the most common types of perils excluded from all risks include earthquake war government seizure or destruction wear and tear infestation pollution nuclear hazard and market loss an individual or business who requires coverage for any excluded event under all risks may have the option to pay an additional premium known as a rider or floater to have the peril included in the contract all risks are also called open perils all perils or comprehensive insurance the trigger for coverage under an all risks policy is physical loss or damage to property an insured must prove physical damage or loss has occurred before the burden of proof shifts to the insurer who then has to prove that an exclusion applies to the coverage for example a small business that experienced a power outage may file a claim citing physical loss the insurance company on the other hand might reject the claim stating that the company experienced a loss of income from a mere loss of property use which is not the same thing as a physical loss of property special considerationsbecause all risks is the most comprehensive type of coverage available and protects the insured from a greater number of possible loss events it is priced proportionately higher than other types of policies the cost of this type of insurance should therefore be measured against the probability of a claim it is possible to have named perils and all risks in the same policy for example an insured may have a property insurance policy that has all risks coverage on the building and named perils on his personal property everyone should read the fine print of any insurance agreement to ensure that they understand what is excluded in the policy also just because an insurance policy is termed all risks does not mean that it covers all risks since the exclusions reduce the level of coverage that is offered make sure you look for the exclusions in any prospective policy 