Hi I can highly recommend Aimee Spencer for all your insurance needs she has done a fantastic effort on keeping my insurance policy once again Many Thanks for all your work
You can buy insurance without a broker. You can also represent yourself in court. The question is whether you should.
Quick answerShould I use an insurance broker or buy direct?A broker helps you decide what to insure and explains the choices. Buy direct and a missed gap can become your problem at claim time. Consolidated Insurance Brokers compares cover and price, gives personal advice and stands beside you if you claim. Tell us about your business and what you need insured. Ring 07 3292 1111.
One real building we compared: about 40 per cent more cover for under 5 per cent more premium through the panel we place with.
Google reviews, word for word
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Saskia Van Oostveen was efficient, professional, accurate, helpful and friendly throughout the entire process. Highly recommend!
A great experience with Tori, attaining some tricky commercial insurance, she was very professional in catering to your needs, whilst also having a quick turn around.
Jade was wonderful, finding me insurance coverage for a commercial property. Greatly appreciated her excellent service.
I contacted Tracey E from Consolidated Insurance Brokers for some commercial property quotes. Tracey was super helpful helpful, friendly and provided great advice. Highly recommend for all your insurance needs!
Thanks for your assistance Dylan with car insurance inquiry you have been really helpful and professional.
Shona was always available and answered all my queriers. A1 service and happy to recommend.
I contacted Renay after she was recommended by a family friend, for home and contents insurance. She was prompt and helpful and had me all sorted in a couple of days. Highly recommend!
I needed fast transit insurance this week and Daniel Roussounis was outstanding in his immediate response and getting this organized for me. Can't recommend Daniel and Consolidated Insurance Brokers highly enough!
Second year organising insurance with Jim K., did not have any issues and a smooth transition. I recommend
May Lewong at the Emerald office was amazing. Easy to deal with and was quick and efficient.
Reena was absolutely fantastic during the entire process helping me set you our new home and contents insurance. Would definitely recommend to anyone.
Natasha as always, gives us professional, exceptional service and would recommend her to any business :-)
We had excellent service in obtaining insurance on a newly purchased commercial property. Clayton Rowlings explained everything so clearly and very patient with many questions regarding different options. Highly recommended! Thanks Clayton.
Tracey helped me sort out professional indemnity and public liability insurance for my new business - she was super helpful throughout the process helping me navigate for the first time.
Deja provided a prompt and professional service in securing a policy that suited my requirements.
Terrific experience with Gina. I had a difficult policy which other brokers couldn't find a solution for. Gina had an option for me within a few hours. I would highly recommend.
Thank you so much Cyndie for your help/advice/service. You made the whole process so easy. Thank you again. Jason Armstrong
Alison was a life-saver for us, staying after hours to make sure that we could get the building insurance coverage we urgently needed for a property purchase.
Debbie was always happy to help with my questions and very prompt with her service.
Read every review, word for word as it was written on Google
For anyone deciding how to buy business insurance. Own a commercial building?
What you get from a broker who works for you
We take the time to understand what you do, explain where a policy could leave you exposed, and help you weigh the options against your budget. You can see what you're paying for and what you would be taking on yourself.
If you need to claim, you have people on your side. Our claims manager deals with the insurer and pursues the claim on your behalf, with your broker staying involved throughout.
What happens when you buy insurance direct?
Buying direct leaves you to choose the cover and sums insured. A quote alone does not tell you whether those choices fit your business.
Check endorsements in the schedule and sub-limits in the wording. These can restrict what the policy pays, even when the main cover looks right.
Depending on what the policy pays for debris removal and professional fees, choosing the building figure alone could leave the sum insured 20 to 40 per cent below the amount needed to rebuild.
General advice does not take account of your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. We give personal advice. We consider your circumstances when recommending cover, including the sum insured for your commercial building.
What an insurer's calculator can and cannot do
A published determination from December 2024 concerns a home building policy, so it decides nothing about commercial cover. The owner set the cover at $495,000 using the insurer's own tools. A fire made the home a total loss, and the insurer's own builder quotes came in above $637,000. The insurer paid the sum insured plus the policy's additional benefits, and no more.
The Australian Financial Complaints Authority found the tools "are estimations only and the responsibility falls upon the person/s seeking cover to ensure it is fit for their individual needs". It added: "the insurer is not able to provide the complainant with financial advice about what to insure her property for because it is not licenced to do so."
Going direct does not avoid the underinsurance clause, also called the co-insurance clause. How the co-insurance clause works.
What should your broker check at renewal?
Comparing premiums is only part of a renewal. For a commercial building, the review should consider the rebuild figure and any renovations or improvements in the last twelve months. The questions need to be specific. Who is your current tenant? How much rent are they paying, including outgoings but excluding GST? A renewal that only compares prices can miss changes that matter when you claim.
A broker who did not ask
In a determination dated 17 April 2025, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority ordered a broker to pay about $296,952, plus interest and up to $5,000 in legal costs, after it failed to ask about and record what it was insuring: three buildings, asbestos in one of them and a tenant that manufactured. The insurer had declined the fire claim and cancelled the policy. The client had instructed the broker to reduce the sum insured to $2 million; AFCA did not find fault with that, and applied the policy's underinsurance clause against a $6,743,403 valuation when it worked out the compensation.
Where going direct makes sense: Direct Insurer vs Insurance Broker.
What does a broker who checks do?
- Desktop building replacement estimate. We commission one at no cost to you, using aerial and street imagery rather than a site visit. We commission it for our purposes as your broker, to inform the advice we give you. Some policies waive the underinsurance penalty when the valuation and sum insured meet their conditions. How the desktop building replacement estimate works.
- Roof condition, checked. We run more than 1,200 roof condition checks a year using aerial imagery to look for potential maintenance concerns. How roof monitoring works.
- A panel that stays honest. We compare quotes from insurers on our panel and remarket every year.
- Paid transparently. What we are paid is disclosed in dollars on every invoice, to every client, as it has been since 2010.
One honest caution. Before asking several brokers to approach insurers, agree who will handle the enquiry and which insurers they will contact.
What is it like to work with us?
If the cover you ask for would leave a gap, your broker explains it and the trade-off. Sometimes suitable cover costs more. The choice stays yours, with the reasons laid out.
Read what happens when you first call us and meet the people who look after our clients.
What does checking look like when it counts?
When the check comes too late: a real storm claim
In a 2025 storm claim CIB handled, a landlord had insured a building for $500,000 against the roughly $1.99 million, including GST, we advised in writing. CIB found two wording points the client's claims advocate had missed, and the insurer accepted our calculation. The clause used a different value from the advised rebuilding figure. It excluded GST and costs insured separately under that policy, giving a tested building value of about $1,308,000. The calculation compared $500,000 with 80 per cent of that value. Even after our correction, the average clause reduced the assessed loss to about 48 cents in the dollar, before the GST adjustment and excess. The full story: How an underinsurance cut is worked out
When the check comes early: a real on-site valuation
A builder's estimate is not enough to set a sum insured. A builder's rough estimate prices the cost to put a structure up, not the full cost to reinstate a whole site after a total loss. The gap can be enormous. In a 2026 on-site valuation CIB paid for as a one-off, the rebuild cost came out at roughly 2.8 times the builder's estimate. The line-by-line is on our desktop building replacement estimate page.
Does a commercial insurance broker cost you more?
A broker's quote can cost more or less. Compare the cover as well as the premium, including what you could have to pay yourself after a loss.
Our Steadfast policies often carry higher sub-limits, especially for business property. On most of them, clearing the site after a loss is paid on top of the building sum insured. Architect and engineer fees usually have to fit within the amount your policy will pay for the rebuild, so allow for them in your sum insured.
Two bars on one scale. The direct-style quote's bar is $1,000,000. The panel quote's bar is drawn in two labelled parts: a $1,200,000 limit of liability and a further $200,000 for removal of debris.
- Direct-style quote, $4,900$1,000,000
- Steadfast panel, about $5,100$1,200,000 limit of liability + $200,000 removal of debris
Source of every figure in this chart: One real building we compared, July 2026.
Both quotes were for the same $1,000,000 sum insured. The panel quote carried a limit of liability up to $1,200,000, plus a further $200,000 specifically for removal of debris. The debris allowance applies to eligible debris-removal costs; it is not extra money for any rebuilding cost. Your building and figures will differ.
Short answers
What does an insurance broker do?
An insurance broker helps you choose suitable cover, compares insurers and represents you when you claim. At Consolidated Insurance Brokers, we look at what your business owns and does, explain the policy differences that could leave you out of pocket and recommend cover suited to your circumstances. You get someone to guide the decision, not a pile of quotes to work out yourself.
How much does an insurance broker cost?
The cost depends on the insurance and service you need. Brokers are paid through commission included in your premium, a broker fee, or both. We disclose both in dollars, so you can see what we earn.
Do I pay the broker or the insurer?
You pay us on one invoice. It shows the insurer's premium, the commission paid from that premium and any broker fee charged in addition to commission or in place of it. Both our commission and fee are shown in dollars.
Can I switch to a broker mid-policy?
Usually, yes. We can be appointed by letter of appointment to look after a suitable existing policy. That does not mean cancelling or replacing it. We review your insurance during the term or at renewal and explain the next steps. An existing claim stays with the broker already handling it.
What is the difference between general advice and personal advice?
General advice takes no account of your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Personal advice does. We give personal advice, and we take responsibility for it.
Why can't I just compare quotes online myself?
You can, but some insurers do not sell direct. We can approach those on our panel. Different brands can share an underwriter. Comparing premiums alone does not show whether the cover or sums insured fit your business.
Does going direct get me a different, or better, underinsurance clause?
Not necessarily. One of Australia's largest insurers sells essentially the same commercial building policy direct and through brokers, with the identical clause. We help you assess the sum insured against the policy's requirements.
What happens if my insurance broker gets it wrong?
A broker may have to compensate you if their negligence causes financial loss. That does not make every declined claim the broker's responsibility. We take responsibility for our advice. You also have access to a formal complaints process and independent review for eligible disputes.
Will my insurance broker help if the insurer disputes my claim?
For our clients, yes. Our claims team deals with the insurer, follows up delays and challenges decisions where the policy and evidence support a different outcome. Your broker stays involved, and we explain what is happening at each step. You do not have to interpret the insurer's arguments or push back alone. If you already have a claim with another broker or directly with an insurer, it needs to stay with them.
Find out if we are the broker for you
Tell us about your business and what you need insured. Call 07 3292 1111 to talk it through.