A surprisingly large number of health and fitness clubs arrange their insurances by using a local broker who is often a friend and/or member of the club.

Invariably when this happens the insurance policy chosen does not incorporate the wider cover required by a health club and, importantly, the premium being charged is totally uncompetitive.

The obvious alternative is to use a specialist insurance broker who understands a health club's operations and can provide expert advice and guidance. You should expect a specialist broker, such as ourselves, to have access to a scheme designed specifically to meet the needs of a health club. Given the current trading climate in the health and fitness sector, the need to offer highly competitive premiums is greater than ever and you should expect a specialist scheme to offer substantial savings.

Clearly all insurers will require minimum standards in respect of security and risk management issues. It is important however that the insurer you choose has a sensible and flexible approach. For example it is not reasonable for an insurer to expect an intruder alarm to be fitted in every case and they should certainly take into account all of the relevant factors regarding location, amount at risk, proximity of keyholders etc.

The claims service offered by an insurer is ultimately the acid test of the quality of your cover. Very often, the claims service is much improved when a dedicated Loss Adjustor is employed by the Insurers. This is likely to enhance the speed of response to a crisis (such as a flood or fire) and also the quality of response since the Loss Adjustor will have developed a good working knowledge of the health club sector. Make sure, therefore, that your chosen insurer or scheme employs the services of a dedicated Loss Adjustor.

Checklist
Make sure that your chosen insurer offers :-

Appropriate wide cover (particularly Public Liability cover);
Highly competitive premiums; 
A flexible approach to security and risk management;
A High quality claims service (with a dedicated Loss Adjustor).