Master Plumbers NSW has appointed MGA Insurance Brokers to help members tackle rising premiums and restrictive conditions driven by risks including flexi-hose failures. 

“The reason we’ve created this partnership is that insurance is such a key concern for our members and we’ve been getting lots of feedback over the past few years about it,” the plumbing contractor group’s CEO Nathaniel Smith said last week. 

The state peak body has a membership ranging from sole operators to large contracting businesses.

MGA head of trades Andrew Faber says premiums for plumbers have soared, especially in the past three or four years, and insurers have been pulling back from the market or introducing restrictive conditions. 

“We are seeing a lot of that driven by flexi-hoses and crimping failures, especially in high-rise buildings,” he told an event announcing MGA’s appointment.  

Mr Faber says there are also issues around soldering and welding and the use of subcontractors, and MGA works closely with insurers to ensure required covers are in place and claims are paid. 

“It’s all about the devil in the detail, and that’s never truer when you’re talking about an insurance policy,” he said.

The appointment with Master Plumbers NSW extends a relationship under which MGA had provided limited services.