Douglas Brown (pictured below) didn’t set out to work in insurance. After early roles as an agricultural surveyor and auctioneer, he “stumbled into it”, and found his calling in the tricky, often under‑served niche of non‑standard and heritage property underwriting.
"The farms and estates market was consistently loss-making and rarely profitable," he said. "But it exposed me to heritage property, which laid the groundwork for what came next."
After a management buyout in 2010, Brown and his team launched Renovation Insurance Brokers. Over time, the business expanded into a full MGA, which has allowed it to support brokers more directly. Today, his team also provides CPD training, with Brown emphasising a simple principle: clients shouldn’t lose their home because they lack the right renovation cover.
Heritage renovation projects often fall between the cracks of traditional underwriting models but it’s a class that really needs supporting to survive.
Brown sees underinsurance as a core issue especially with listed properties, where rebuild and contract works costs are vastly underestimated. According to rebuild cost data covering nearly 27,000 UK valuations, 83% of properties are underinsured, with an average cover of just 66% of required rebuild costs. Properties insured at or below £500,000 fare worse - covered for only 51% on average.
“Listed buildings take longer and cost more to restore,” Brown said. “Especially if you’re waiting on specialist trades. That time adds cost, and many clients simply aren’t prepared for that.”
When insurers rely too heavily on data-driven criteria, Brown argues, they create silos that miss context, and opportunities. “When we get a submission with only basic information, it’s like underwriting in black and white. But with more context, you’re working in colour and 3D. That’s when real underwriting begins.”
The business avoids automated decisioning in favour of people with deep expertise and creativity. “We apply that last 20% of experience to risks others won’t touch, applying price and terms to make risks writable” he said.
That flexibility also allows for unconventional solutions. For example, one renovation of a remote thatched cottage required storing 10,000 litres of water on site so the fire brigade could respond effectively. “Most engines carry 600 gallons. That’s not going far in a fire,” Brown said.
Brown’s clearest advice to brokers is to start earlier and stay closer to the client.
“The most difficult position for an underwriter is last-minute placement,” he said. “It drives up cost because we don’t have time to assess risk properly or negotiate terms.”
Instead, brokers should be speaking to clients six months before work begins, during the planning and tender process. “That’s when you can shape contracts and set the sums insured properly. Not three weeks before the builders show up.”
He also warns brokers to stay alert to emerging risk factors, particularly with modern construction methods and green materials. “High-insulation materials can be highly combustible. That’s a challenge we’ve had for 30 years, but it’s going to get worse as net-zero targets accelerate.”
Conversions - such as 70s and 80s office buildings into residential use - also require scrutiny. “People are often trying to make old buildings meet new regulations on the cheap. That’s where we see trouble.”
Brown suggests brokers can benefit from thinking more like underwriters: applying judgment, digging for context, and staying curious. “Information is your leverage,” he said. “The more you know, the better we can underwrite.”
