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Brokers Risk appetite guides

Risk appetite guides

There’s more to Ecclesiastical than you might think. 

Supported by specialist underwriting, flexible decision-making and sector expertise, we work in partnership with brokers to support a broad range of specialist and complex risks. 

This Risk Appetite Guide provides a clear overview of our appetite across our key sectors. It is designed to help brokers quickly identify where a risk is typically within appetite, usually outside of appetite, or where a discussion with us could unlock a solution. 

Can’t see your risk listed? 

Many of the risks we write are unique or sit outside standard market parameters. Where a risk falls outside of the examples shown, we encourage you to speak to us. Our underwriters are empowered to take a pragmatic, bespoke approach. 

Art & Private Client

Art & Private Client insurance, designed for high net worth individuals with complex risks, valuable properties and significant collections.

We have capacity up to £100m for buildings and contents and in excess of £150m for art, supported by a dedicated team of underwriters, art historians and claims professionals.

Within appetite

Usually outside of appetite
  • Private individuals with high levels of wealth in property and/or possessions
  • Listed buildings through to contemporary properties
  • Private homes with some commercial activity
  • Private clients with their primary residence in the UK
  • Balanced portfolios of art (including collections, contents and jewellery)
  • Contents and/or art (including collections) in isolation
  • Minimum building sums insured £1,000,000
  • Minimum contents sums insured £150,000 plus jewellery
  • Premium £3,000+ IPT (private homes)
  • Property situated permanently outside of the UK
  • Thatched properties unless part of a wider portfolio
  • Buildings only
  • Previous subsidence

Find out more about our Art & Private Client insurance proposition.

Care

Care insurance is a specialist proposition designed for UK based care homes, domiciliary care providers and supported living services, protecting organisations that deliver essential care to vulnerable people.

The cover reflects the unique operational, regulatory and safeguarding risks within the care sector, supported by specialist underwriting expertise and a strong focus on continuity of care, reputation protection and risk management.

Within appetite

Usually outside of appetite
  • Care homes
  • Day centres
  • Domiciliary care
  • Family centres
  • Hospices
  • Nursing homes
  • Post treatment addiction rehab
  • Residential homes
  • Respite care
  • Retirement villages
  • Retreat centres
  • Sheltered housing
  • Special schools including residential
  • Addiction treatment centres
  • Adult placement agencies
  • Children’s homes
  • Fostering and adoption agencies
  • Homeless hostels and refuges
  • Hospitals, clinics and secure units

Find out more about our Care insurance proposition

Charity

Charity insurance is built for the diverse needs of charitable and not-for‑profit organisations, from small community charities to complex, multi-site operations.

We offer specialist protection for property, people and governance risks, underpinned by a deep understanding of the charity sector and its purpose-driven approach.

Within appetite

Usually outside of appetite
  • Advice and support centres
  • Alms houses
  • Art and music centres
  • Animal sanctuaries
  • Associations, organisations and societies
  • Charity shops
  • City farms
  • Clubs and groups
  • Community centres and halls
  • Community work and outreach services
  • Conference/resource centres
  • Counselling, mediation and arbitration
  • Drop in centres
  • Employment training
  • Food banks
  • Hostels (excluding homeless hostels)
  • Meals on wheels
  • Research and insight organisations
  • Restaurants and cafes
  • Youth groups
  • Charities that are based overseas
  • Homeless hostels
  • Housing associations
  • Industrial, manufacturing and construction preservation risks including large-scale recycling
  • Railway and inland waterway
  • Zoos, sea life centres and wildlife parks

We can write the following where these are not the sole activity:

  • Activity and adventure centres
  • Fundraising
Temporary overseas activities are within appetite provided these are not carried out against advice from the UK Government Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

Find out more about our Charity insurance proposition.

Education

Education insurance provides specialist cover for schools, colleges and other educational establishments, recognising the breadth of risks involved in educating and caring for children, students and staff.

We can support both state and independent institutions, offering flexible protection for property and liability and safeguarding exposures, backed by sector-specific claims and risk management expertise.

Within appetite

Usually outside of appetite
  • Academies and other state-funded primary and secondary schools
  • Adult skills and employment-based training centres
  • Further and higher education establishments
  • Independent schools, including day and boarding schools
  • Language schools
  • Nurseries and pre-schools
  • Special schools
  • Teacher training colleges
  • Theological colleges
  • Voluntary aided schools and voluntary controlled schools
  • Agricultural colleges
  • Childminders
  • Educational establishments where there is no oversight from Ofsted, ISI or another recognised regulatory body
  • Pupil referral units
  • Specialist sports schools and academies
  • Summer or temporary schools in isolation
  • Sure Start children’s centres

Find out more about our Education insurance proposition.

Faith

Faith and Community insurance is designed to protect places of worship and community organisations at the heart of local life.

Built on decades of sector experience, the cover addresses the risks faced by faith and community groups, including historic buildings, volunteers, public engagement and safeguarding responsibilities.

Within appetite

Purpose built places of worship including:

  • Abbeys
  • Cathedrals
  • Chapels
  • Churches
  • Gurdwaras
  • Monasteries
  • Mosques
  • Nunneries and convents
  • Synagogues
  • Temples
 

Find out more about our Faith and Community insurance proposition.

Fine Art

We write fine art which could be bought and sold at a reputable auction house, contemporary or classic, an individual item or a collection.

With capacity in excess of £150m, our appetite allows us to cover a wide range of unique, rare and high value items including paintings, statues, sculpture, civic regalia, collectibles and memorabilia.

Within appetite

Usually outside of appetite
  • Collections held by faith establishments
  • Collections held by museums, galleries, libraries and other institutions
  • Collections held by schools, colleges, universities and local authorities
  • Collections held within stately homes, palaces and castles
  • Collections owned by Trusts, PLCs and Limited companies
  • Corporate collectors including liveries, solicitors, accountants etc (i.e. art on office walls, collections)
  • Musical instrument collections
  • Private collectors
  • Auctioneers
  • Conservators
  • Dealers

Find out more about our Fine Art insurance proposition.

Heritage

We define heritage as property or activities with archaeological, historic, architectural, traditional, cultural, engineering or scientific significance.

We write risks that operate from or have heritage property and/or carry out heritage activities. This means we include modern, contemporary or unusual design, as well as buildings with architectural merit.

Within appetite

Usually outside of appetite
  • Buildings of architectural significance
  • Castles and palaces
  • Cinemas
  • Conference and exhibition centres
  • Fine dining restaurants and gastropubs
  • Forts and monuments
  • Historic houses and stately homes
  • Historic sites and visitor attractions
  • Hotels
  • Libraries
  • Museums and galleries
  • Preservation trusts
  • Theatres and concert halls
  • Estates
  • Night clubs and casinos

Find out more about our Heritage insurance proposition.

Leisure

Leisure insurance supports organisations operating within the leisure, culture and visitor attraction sector, including museums, galleries and venues.

We provide tailored protection for property, visitors and income-generating activities, with specialist expertise to support organisations balancing public access, conservation and commercial sustainability.

Within appetite

Usually outside of appetite
  • Conference centres, exhibition centres, stadia and arenas
  • Fine dining restaurants
  • Golf clubs and country clubs
  • High-quality hotels
  • Gastropubs
  • Luxury holiday lets
  • Museums and galleries
  • Private members clubs
  • Serviced apartments
  • Spa resorts and retreats
  • Theatres, cinemas and concert halls
  • Visitor centres and other visitor attractions
  • Budget holiday parks
  • Fast food, takeaways and cafes
  • Night clubs and casinos
  • Theme parks and zoos

Find out more about our Leisure insurance proposition.

Office Professions

Office Professions insurance is designed for office-based organisations and professional services firms.

The cover addresses core property, liability and people risks, with options to extend protection as businesses grow or diversify.

Within appetite

Usually outside of appetite
  • Accountants, financial advisors and insurance services
  • Architects, surveyors and engineering services
  • Clerical and administrative services
  • Consultants
  • Design, digital and creative agencies
  • Estate agents
  • Human Resource services
  • Marketing and communication services
  • Solicitors and legal services
  • Debt collection agencies
  • Medical-based professions
  • Taxi operators

Find out more about our Office Professions insurance proposition.

Real Estate

We write mixed portfolios and individual risks for a range of property owners and managing agents. We protect some of the most iconic real estate on the UK’s skyline and, as a listed buildings specialist, we also offer solutions for large listed buildings.

Within appetite

Our preferred premises and portfolios include:

  • Standard and/or non-combustible construction
  • Purpose-built
  • Low hazard geographic risk factors and good spread
  • Well managed and protected premises, including sprinklers where appropriate

Examples of what we’d like to write more of:

  • Offices
  • Retail and shopping centres, including out-of-town
  • Hotels and restaurants
  • Education
  • Blocks of flats and retirement accommodation
  • Student accommodation
  • Leisure trades
  • Light industrial
 
Trades only considered as part of a wider portfolio:

Some trades may only be considered and accommodated within a wider portfolio. This includes:

  • Long-term unoccupied (over 6 months)
  • Extensive multi-tenure (other than offices)
  • Heavy manufacturing
  • Recycling and waste management
  • Non-sprinklered warehousing
  • Properties undergoing significant works

Find out more about our Real Estate insurance proposition.

Schemes

Ecclesiastical’s Schemes proposition is designed to support brokers delivering bespoke insurance solutions to clearly defined client groups, associations or membership bodies.

Built around delegated or affinity arrangements, the proposition combines specialist underwriting, flexible product design and strong governance, enabling brokers to develop sustainable schemes backed by technical expertise, service standards and a long‑term partnership approach.

Within appetite

We have a broad risk appetite, far wider than the sectors Ecclesiastical is traditionally known for. Some examples include:

  • Allotments
  • Canal boats
  • Cricket clubs
  • Florists
  • Model railways
  • Musical instruments
  • Pet and Animal trades

 

  • Photographers
  • Scout groups
  • Smallholders
  • Surgeries
  • Vineyards

This list is far from complete

Ultimately, we want to partner with like-minded brokers and MGAs who are genuinely passionate about their schemes. Whether it’s an established proposition or a strong new idea, we expect brokers to challenge us, bring their expertise, and be willing to get into the data and detail needed to make it succeed.

So, challenge us with your scheme ideas and give us the opportunity to show you what we can do.

 

Find out more about our Schemes proposition.

For broker use only

This information is intended for insurance professionals only and is not intended for distribution to the public.

Why Ecclesiastical? 

Underpinning our appetite is a strong core proposition, including significant capacity, access to risk management and claims expertise, and confidence you're backed by a responsible business

Practical support from our risk team – surveyors across the UK offering buildings valuations and risk surveys to help protect people, reputation and assets. 

Personalised claims service - direct contact with the specialist handling the case, a range of cash settlement and fulfilment options and a proactive approach to defending clients in liability cases. 

How we insure – we don’t underwrite fossil fuels or climate-harming industries and we're working to support our customers to decarbonise. 

How we invest - we principally invest through EdenTree including their Global Impact Bond Fund, a globally diverse mix of ESG-labelled green, social and sustainable bonds that contain a use-of-proceeds provisions.  

 

Getting in touch

If you're a broker, contact the regional office for your area:

Central & South West

0345 605 0209

Email

London & South East

0345 608 0069

Email

The North

0345 603 7554

Email

Scotland

0345 603 7554

Email

Art & Private Client team

0345 608 0069

Email

Schemes team

0345 604 7233

Email

Awards and accreditation