If your business has been declined by standard insurers, operates in a high-risk industry, has a claims history, or has complex operational risks, you’re not alone. Many businesses in your situation access appropriate coverage through specialist insurers, and we can help you find it.
If your business falls outside standard insurer appetite, we can help you access appropriate cover. This includes businesses in emerging technologies, high-hazard operations, licensed venues, professional services with complex exposures, or requiring significant coverage limits. Hard-to-place insurance is available for businesses like yours.
When you’ve been declined by standard insurers, we help you access specialist insurers who understand your industry and risk profile. We connect you with insurers who specialise in businesses like yours. Being declined doesn’t always mean you’re uninsurable.
Industries We Specialise In
Certain industry sectors commonly require specialist hard-to-place expertise:
Why Risks Become Hard-to-Place
If you’ve been declined by standard insurers, it’s not because your business is uninsurable. It’s because standard markets have declined or restricted cover. That’s where specialist insurers come in, and that’s where we can help. Your business may have become hard-to-place for several common reasons:
Common Placement Challenges
If you’re in one of these situations, specialist insurers can often help:
Insurance Types We Arrange Through Specialist Markets
The insurance types below are commonly arranged for hard-to-place businesses. The right combination depends on your specific operations, industry, and the reasons standard markets have declined.
Public and Products Liability: Essential for most businesses regardless of risk profile. For hard-to-place risks, the challenge is often limit requirements, specific activity exclusions, or prior claims. Specialist markets can accommodate higher limits and broader coverage terms than standard insurers.
Professional Indemnity: If your business has complex service exposures, cross-border operations, technology risks, or previous claims, specialist professional indemnity insurers can cover you. We help access cover for emerging professions, technology-related errors, and businesses that standard insurers have declined.
Cyber Liability: If your business has had previous cyber incidents or operates in a complex data environment, specialist cyber insurers can provide cover where standard insurers have declined or imposed restrictions. We help you find this specialist cover when you need it.
Management Liability: If your business is experiencing rapid growth, regulatory scrutiny, investor disputes, or has previous employment practice claims, you may find standard insurers reluctant to offer directors and officers cover. We help you access specialist management liability insurers who understand these situations.
Property and ISR: If your property has high-hazard characteristics, unusual construction, or a claims history, standard insurers may decline cover. We help you find specialist insurers who can provide property cover for higher-risk properties.
Contract Works and Liability: For construction and installation risks that fall outside standard market appetite due to project type, contract position, or prior claims.
Specialty and Bespoke Covers: If your risk needs custom policy wordings or combined coverage structures that don’t exist as standard products, we connect you with specialist insurers who can design bespoke cover. We help access custom insurance when standard products won’t work.
Understanding Your Situation
Understanding Your Challenges
We start by listening to why your business was declined or struggled with standard markets, and identifying the specific obstacles preventing straightforward placement. Understanding your situation is the first step in finding you cover.
Comprehensive Risk and Insurance Review
We conduct thorough analysis of your operations, risk management practices, claims circumstances, and business structure. This helps specialist underwriters understand your business and the information they’ll need to make a decision.
Specialist Market Strategy
We identify specialist insurers who understand your industry and risk profile. This includes insurers licensed in your state and interstate specialists who have experience with businesses like yours.
Access to Specialist Underwriting
We access specialist insurers through established market relationships. These relationships mean we can often help you find cover when other advisers or direct channels cannot.
Long-Term Partnership
Your risk profile can improve over time. When you implement risk management improvements, maintain positive loss experience, and strengthen your financial position, you often access better insurance terms. Many businesses transition from hard-to-place to standard markets within 2-5 years, and we can support you through that journey.
Servicing Challenging Risks Across Australia
If your business is based in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, regional Queensland, or across Australia, we can help you access hard-to-place insurance. We understand the specialist underwriting requirements and market processes needed when standard insurers have declined cover.
Whether you’ve been declined by multiple insurers, operate in a high-risk industry, face challenges from claims history, or simply need coverage that standard markets won’t provide, we’re here to leverage our specialist market relationships to find appropriate solutions for your business.
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*These testimonials represent individual client experiences. Results vary based on circumstances, requirements, business operations, and market conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a business “hard-to-place” for insurance?
Businesses become hard-to-place due to adverse claims history, high-risk industry classification, unusual operations, high coverage limit requirements, poor risk management history, regulatory challenges, or being declined by multiple standard insurers. Certain industries like hospitality, entertainment, security services, and emerging technologies are commonly considered hard-to-place. Start-ups without track records or businesses requiring non-standard policy terms may also need specialist placement. We work with businesses across all these scenarios to access appropriate insurance solutions.
Can you get insurance if standard insurers have declined coverage?
Yes, we specialise in accessing alternative insurance markets when standard insurers decline coverage. Through our Steadfast Group membership and specialist market relationships, we access surplus lines insurers, Lloyd’s syndicates, and niche underwriters who consider risks outside standard market appetite. The key is presenting your risk appropriately, explaining circumstances around previous declinations, demonstrating risk management improvements, and targeting insurers who understand your specific industry or risk profile.
How much does hard-to-place insurance cost?
Hard-to-place insurance typically costs more than standard market coverage due to higher perceived risk, specialist underwriting requirements, and limited market competition. Premiums depend on your specific circumstances, claims history, risk management practices, coverage requirements, and available market options. Some businesses pay 25-100% more than standard rates, while complex or high-hazard risks may require significantly higher investment. We work to find the most competitive terms available whilst ensuring adequate coverage for your operations.
What’s the difference between standard and surplus lines insurance?
Standard (admitted) insurance comes from insurers licensed and regulated in your state, with guaranteed access to state guarantee funds if insurers become insolvent. Surplus lines (non-admitted) insurance comes from insurers not licensed in your state but approved to write coverage standard markets won’t provide. Surplus lines offers greater flexibility, higher limits, and coverage for hard-to-place risks, but doesn’t include state guarantee fund protection. We arrange both standard and surplus lines coverage depending on your specific needs and available options.
How long does it take to arrange hard-to-place insurance?
Hard-to-place insurance typically takes longer than standard market placement; usually 2-6 weeks depending on complexity, market conditions, and information requirements. We need comprehensive business information, financial statements, claims details, risk management documentation, and often specific underwriter questions answered. Businesses requiring urgent coverage should contact us immediately; we can sometimes arrange temporary coverage whilst pursuing optimal long-term solutions through specialist markets.
Can hard-to-place businesses improve their insurance situation over time?
Yes, many businesses successfully transition from hard-to-place to standard markets over time. Key factors include maintaining claims-free periods, implementing robust risk management practices, demonstrating positive loss experience, achieving regulatory compliance, strengthening financial position, and working with brokers who document improvements for underwriters. We develop long-term strategies to progressively access better coverage terms as your risk profile strengthens, potentially returning to standard markets within 2-5 years.
Next Steps
If you would like advice or a no-obligation risk and insurance review, contact one of our senior advisers, Lisa Carter or Vanessa Hilton on 1300 721 132 or email info@clearinsurance.com.au.
General Advice Warning: This advice is general and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider whether the advice is appropriate for you and your personal circumstances. Before you make any decision about whether to acquire a certain product, you should obtain and read the relevant product disclosure statement. Clear Insurance Pty Ltd. ABN 41 601 916 689. AFSL No. 548953.
Last updated: 4 August 2026
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