ARCHITECT PI CASE STUDY
Design Consultancy - Retail Centres and Townhouse Developments
An interior design and architectural consultancy working across retail centres and owner-builder townhouse projects. Two insurer declines on occupation. Vero placed at roughly half the price of the next closest quote.
THE SITUATION
A design consultancy combining interior design and architectural work came to us needing Professional Indemnity insurance. The practice worked on retail centres and townhouse developments under owner-builder arrangements, with annual revenue around $150,000 and one staff member.
The principal was a qualified architect by background but was outsourcing all architect-approved designs to qualified third parties at the time of quoting. This dual-occupation profile, interior design plus architectural consultancy, meant standard insurer appetites didn't always align with the risk.
They needed PI cover with options at $10M, $20M, and $30M limits, along with $20M Public Liability.
OUR APPROACH
We went to market across four insurers to obtain competitive terms across the requested limit options.
The quotes and responses we received:
- Vero: approximately $2,000 for $10M PI
- Dual: approximately $3,400
- Woodina: approximately $6,600
- Insurer 4: declined on occupation
- Insurer 5: declined on occupation
The pricing spread was significant. Vero's quote was roughly half the next cheapest option and less than a third of Woodina's. For identical cover, the difference was substantial.
THE CHALLENGE
The main challenge here was the dual-occupation profile. A practice that sits across interior design and architectural consultancy doesn't fit neatly into standard underwriting categories. Two of the insurers approached declined purely on occupation.
The owner-builder townhouse work added another layer. Some insurers view owner-builder projects differently from standard architectural consulting because the design firm has a closer relationship with the construction outcome.
Despite these complications, three of the five insurers we approached provided quotes, giving the client genuine options to compare.
THE OUTCOME
We placed $10M PI through Vero at approximately $2,000. The $20M Public Liability was added on the same day.
The gap between the cheapest and most expensive quote was approximately $4,600 for identical $10M PI cover. Without going to market properly, this client could easily have been paying three times more for the same protection.
Quotes were delivered same day from an inbound call. The client reviewed overnight and bound the following morning. A straightforward result for a risk that two major insurers declined on occupation.
Put this placement in context
More Case Studies
All case studiesPetroleum Engineer: Six Declines, International Operations
Petroleum engineering consultancy with 100% international operations declined by six insurers on occupation alone. Placed through a specialist underwriter - the market that ultimately provided terms.
Read case study Professional IndemnityArchitectural Lighting Design - Three Declines, One Market
Specialist architectural lighting design consultancy. Three insurers declined on occupation. Woodina provided terms for this niche. Same-day urgent placement.
Read case study Professional IndemnityInternational Marketing Consultant: Four Declines, Same-Day Placement
Marketing consultant with 40% international revenue from FinTech and eCommerce clients. Four PI insurers declined on jurisdiction. Full programme placed same day through Brooklyn (PI) and Coalition (Cyber).
Read case studyDual-occupation architectural practice? We can help.
Practices that combine interior design, architectural consultancy, and project types like owner-builder work often face insurer declines. We know which markets will consider these risks and how to present them. Also covering Architect PI Insurance and Professional Indemnity Insurance more broadly.