Specialisms
Specialised insurance tailored to unique risks and industries.
Quick Summary
- Specialist expertise: Daines Kapp holds deep sector expertise across arboriculture, flood-risk properties, property professionals, and construction — areas where general commercial insurance regularly falls short
- Purpose-built programmes: Specialist insurance is built around the specific risk profile and exposures of each sector, not adapted from standard off-the-shelf commercial policies
- Market access: Each specialist team has direct relationships with the underwriters best placed to cover that sector at realistic terms
- 35+ years of specialist placement: Daines Kapp has been placing specialist commercial and professional insurance for over 35 years
- Get the right cover: If your business operates in a specialist or high-risk sector, speak to Daines Kapp before assuming a standard policy will respond correctly
Daines Kapp Insurance Brokers provides specialist insurance for professionals and businesses operating in sectors where standard commercial policies are inadequate. Our specialisms team focuses on three areas where the risk profile demands dedicated underwriting expertise: arborists and tree surgery businesses, properties in flood risk zones, and RICS-regulated surveyors and property professionals. With over 20 years of experience in specialist commercial insurance, we source coverage through insurers and Lloyd’s syndicates with genuine expertise in these niche markets.
Our Specialist Insurance Areas
Specialist insurance is not simply commercial insurance with a different label. It requires insurers who understand the particular exposures — the liability profile of working at height with chainsaws, the underwriting complexity of flood-risk properties, and the professional indemnity requirements of RICS-regulated firms. The table below summarises each area we cover and who it is designed for.
| Specialism | Key Cover | Suited To |
|---|---|---|
| Arborists & Tree Surgery | Public liability including aerial and felling operations; employers’ liability; plant and specialist equipment; contractors’ tools; contract works | Tree surgeons, arborists, arboricultural contractors, and specialist tree care businesses working at height with chainsaws and heavy machinery |
| Grounds Maintenance & Horticulture | Public liability for grounds maintenance operations; employers’ liability; use of machinery and vehicles; contract works; horticultural stock and equipment | Grounds maintenance contractors, landscape gardeners, garden centre operators, and horticultural businesses requiring tailored liability and equipment protection |
| Commercial Flood Insurance | Flood damage to commercial premises, stock, and fixtures; business interruption following flood events; specialist flood property damage extensions | Businesses in Flood Zone 2 or 3, commercial landlords with flood-risk properties, and operators who have been declined cover or faced significant premium increases from standard insurers |
| Residential Flood Insurance | Buildings and contents cover for flood-risk residential properties; flood damage reinstatement; alternative accommodation following flood events; Flood Re-backed policies where eligible | Homeowners and residential landlords in flood risk areas who have been refused cover, had flood excluded, or received unaffordable premiums from standard insurers |
| RICS Surveyors & Building Consultants | Professional indemnity meeting RICS mandatory PI requirements; run-off cover; public liability; employers’ liability; civil liability extensions for building consultancy work | RICS-regulated firms and sole practitioners — residential and commercial surveyors, building consultants, project monitors, and party wall surveyors requiring RICS-compliant PI cover |
| Property Managers & Consultants | Professional indemnity for property management and consultancy; directors’ and officers’ liability; fidelity guarantee; public and employers’ liability | Property managers, block management companies, lettings agents, and property consultants who need PI cover reflecting the liability exposures of managing third-party assets |
Arborists & Tree Surgery Insurance
Tree surgery and arboriculture carry some of the highest liability exposures of any trade — working at height, using chainsaws, felling large trees in proximity to buildings and members of the public. Standard liability policies either exclude these activities or impose sub-limits and conditions that fail at claim time. Our arborists insurance service sources coverage from specialist insurers who understand the risk, providing public liability for aerial and ground-level operations, employers’ liability for employed and subcontracted staff, and plant and equipment cover for chainsaws, chippers, and specialist vehicles.
Commercial & Residential Flood Insurance
With over five million properties in England at risk of flooding, and standard insurers increasingly withdrawing cover or imposing flood exclusions on at-risk properties, specialist flood insurance has become essential for many homeowners and businesses. Our commercial and residential flood insurance service arranges coverage for properties that standard insurers will not accept, or where flood exclusions have been applied following previous claims. We work with specialist flood insurers and the Flood Re scheme to provide buildings and contents cover, business interruption protection, and alternative accommodation cover proportionate to the property’s value and risk profile.
RICS & Property Professionals Insurance
RICS requires its regulated members to hold professional indemnity insurance meeting specific minimum standards — and arranging that cover properly requires a broker with genuine understanding of the RICS PI framework. Daines Kapp is named on the RICS website as one of a small number of UK brokers with specific experience in placing professional indemnity for RICS firms and individuals. Our RICS and property professionals insurance service covers residential and commercial surveyors, building consultants, project monitors, and property managers, with policy wordings aligned to RICS mandatory requirements and limits appropriate to the nature and scale of each firm.
Why Choose Daines Kapp for Specialist Insurance
Daines Kapp has been a specialist commercial insurance broker for over 35 years. Our specialisms team does not attempt to place niche risks with standard market insurers who lack the appetite or expertise to underwrite them properly. Instead, we work with a carefully curated panel of specialist insurers — including Lloyd’s syndicates and dedicated specialist underwriters — who understand the exposures, price the risk accurately, and respond constructively when claims arise.
Where standard brokers provide generic liability policies that may exclude or restrict the activities central to your business, we structure coverage from the ground up around what you actually do. For arborists, flood-risk property owners, and RICS-regulated professionals, the difference between a specialist policy and a standard one is rarely apparent until a claim occurs — and by then it is too late.
Get a Specialist Insurance Quote
To discuss your specialist insurance requirements or to arrange a review of your existing cover, contact our team today. Get a Specialist Insurance Quote →
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of business need specialist insurance rather than standard commercial cover?
Businesses that need specialist insurance are typically those whose primary activities carry risks that standard commercial insurers will not underwrite, or will only cover with significant restrictions. Arborists working at height with chainsaws, businesses operating in mapped flood risk zones, and RICS-regulated firms with professional indemnity obligations set by their regulator all fall into this category. Standard commercial policies may appear to cover these activities but often contain exclusions — for work above a certain height, for flood as a named peril, or for professional activities outside a defined scope — that render them inadequate when a significant claim arises.
Why can’t standard insurers cover arborists and tree surgeons?
Arboricultural work involves a combination of risk factors that standard liability insurers either exclude or price prohibitively: working at height, use of chainsaws and heavy machinery, felling operations near buildings and public areas, and the inherent unpredictability of tree behaviour. Specialist arborists insurers underwrite these activities as standard, with policy wordings that cover aerial operations, chainsaw use, and proximity working — rather than treating them as excluded or heavily restricted activities. The difference is material: a standard liability policy that excludes work above six metres provides no cover for the majority of what a professional tree surgeon does.
How does specialist flood insurance differ from standard buildings cover?
Standard buildings and contents insurance typically covers flood as one of several named perils, which is adequate for low-risk areas. For properties in Flood Zone 2 or 3, or those that have experienced flood claims, standard insurers routinely exclude flood, apply significant excesses — often £10,000 to £25,000 or more — or decline to renew cover entirely. Specialist flood insurers and the Flood Re government-backed reinsurance scheme provide cover designed specifically for flood-risk properties, with flood included as a covered peril, appropriate excesses, and claims handling by loss adjusters experienced in flood reinstatement work.
Is Daines Kapp able to arrange RICS-compliant professional indemnity insurance?
Yes. Daines Kapp is specifically named on the RICS website as one of a small number of UK brokers with recognised expertise in placing professional indemnity insurance for RICS-regulated firms and individuals. We arrange PI cover that meets RICS mandatory requirements — including minimum indemnity limits, retroactive cover, run-off provisions, and the civil liability extensions required by RICS — and work with specialist PI insurers who understand the professional services liability exposures of surveyors, building consultants, and property professionals. Cover is available for sole practitioners through to multi-office firms.
What should I do if I have been refused flood insurance or had flood excluded from my policy?
If your insurer has applied a flood exclusion, declined to renew your policy, or offered renewal on terms that exclude or severely restrict flood cover, you should seek specialist advice before your renewal date. For residential properties, Flood Re may be available through certain participating insurers, providing a government-backed reinsurance mechanism that makes affordable cover accessible to eligible homeowners. For commercial properties and those not eligible for Flood Re, specialist flood insurers and Lloyd’s syndicates can often provide cover where standard markets have withdrawn. Daines Kapp can assess your flood risk profile and identify the most appropriate insurer and terms for your situation.
