Adelaide Insurance Broker Westphalian Warns on SME Underinsurance

Adelaide, South Australia, July 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adelaide, South Australia - July 14, 2026 -

Westphalian Insurance Brokers is urging South Australian small businesses to review their cover after national figures showed rising intermediated premiums and close to one in ten SMEs reporting underinsurance.

Small business renewal notices are arriving higher across South Australia this July, and national survey data suggests almost one in ten of the firms opening them are underinsured. Westphalian Insurance Brokers, a general insurance brokerage on Hutt Street in Adelaide, has urged local owners to review their cover before renewing rather than accepting rollover terms, citing new market figures released over the past quarter. As an insurance broker Adelaide businesses engage for commercial, farm, and personal cover, the firm arranges policies through multiple insurers rather than selling one company's products.

Figures published by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority in March 2026 show total premium invoiced through insurance intermediaries reached $22.97 billion in the six months to December 2025, up from $22.28 billion in the same period a year earlier. Higher premium rates across several commercial classes account for part of that growth. Another part reflects more businesses seeking professional help to place risks they can no longer arrange confidently on their own.

More information is available at https://westphalian.com.au/

Cost pressure is landing on firms that were already stretched. Suncorp's Vero SME Insurance Index, a national survey of 1,750 Australian businesses, found that almost one in ten SMEs describe themselves as underinsured, and only 42 per cent review their sum insured each year. Underinsurance occurs when a policy's insured value falls below the actual cost of replacing property, stock, or equipment, leaving the owner to fund the shortfall after a loss. For a small trader or farming operation, that gap can be the difference between recovering and closing.

Brokers sit on the client's side of that problem. An insurance broker Adelaide businesses appoint acts for the policyholder rather than the insurer, comparing cover from multiple underwriters and negotiating terms on the client's behalf. Westphalian arranges business insurance, public liability insurance, professional indemnity insurance, farm insurance, landlord insurance, and cyber, home, and motor cover for clients across the city and regional South Australia. The brokerage operates as an authorised representative of Community Broker Network, which holds an Australian Financial Services Licence, and works within the Insurance Brokers Code of Practice administered by the National Insurance Brokers Association.

"Most of the underinsurance we see is not a deliberate gamble. It is a policy that was right three years ago and has never been looked at since," said a spokesperson at Westphalian Insurance Brokers, who added that building costs, equipment prices, and rental values in South Australia have all moved faster than most sums insured. "A renewal notice is not a review. Sitting down once a year and checking what the business actually owns is the cheapest risk management most owners will ever do."

Demand for advice is also shifting by sector. Farm clients in the state's regions are reviewing cover as machinery replacement costs rise, while property investors are re-examining landlord policies as Adelaide's rental market tightens. The firm has also fielded more questions about the public liability insurance Adelaide tradespeople and event organisers are required to hold under venue and contract terms. The brokerage said on-site risk assessments across its client base continue to uncover gaps that online quoting tools miss, particularly on older commercial buildings. When a business is underinsured at claim time, the shortfall flows through to staff, suppliers, and customers, which is one reason industry bodies continue to urge annual policy reviews.

About Westphalian Insurance Brokers

Westphalian Insurance Brokers is an Adelaide general insurance brokerage located at 206 Hutt Street, Adelaide SA 5000, arranging business, farm, and personal insurance for clients across South Australia.

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For more information about Westphalian Insurance Brokers, contact the company here:

Westphalian Insurance Brokers
Westphalian Insurance Brokers
08 8232 3118
admin@westphalian.com.au
206 Hutt Street, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia

Westphalian Insurance Brokers

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