Renewal review slots for the 2027 household and commercial cycle are being scheduled now through 14 November.

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Vela Thread Independent insurance broking
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Policy wording, read properly

Most people are not underinsured. They are unclearly insured.

Vela Thread is a small independent practice. We read the wording you already hold, mark the gaps and the overlaps, and give you a written comparison before anything is signed.

Request a cover review See what we broker
Independent
We are not tied to a single insurer, so the comparison includes options we earn nothing on.
Written, not verbal
Every recommendation arrives as a document you can keep, question and take elsewhere.
Claims included
If you claim on a policy we placed, we handle the correspondence with the insurer.

How we work

A policy is a sentence about the worst day of your year. We argue with that sentence until it says something useful.

Cover is rarely sold badly on purpose. It drifts. A kitchen is extended, a van is added, a lodger moves in, stock doubles before a seasonal run — and the schedule stays where it was three renewals ago.

So we start with the documents rather than a quote. We look at the sums insured, the excess structure, the conditions precedent, and the endorsements nobody reads. Then we tell you which of those would have mattered.

  • We quote the exclusions out loud

    Any recommendation we make names what it will not pay for, in plain sentences, on the first page.

  • We show our commission

    Where we are paid by the insurer rather than by you, the figure appears on the comparison.

  • We will tell you to stay put

    If the cover you hold is already correct, the review ends with a short note saying so.

What we broker

Four classes of cover, with the honest edges marked

Each lane below states what the class usually includes, what it usually does not, and the single decision that moves the premium most. Read the lane that sounds like your year.

A bright domestic kitchen with timber cabinetry and a window above the sink

01

Household

Buildings, contents and the things you keep forgetting

Written for owners and long-term tenants, including homes that have been extended, let to a lodger, or left empty for part of the year.

Usually included

  • Rebuild cost of the structure
  • Contents at replacement value
  • Escape of water and storm damage
  • Alternative accommodation

Usually not

  • Gradual damp and wear
  • Unspecified items above the single-article limit
  • Work in progress during renovation
  • Periods unoccupied beyond the stated limit

The decision that moves the price: whether your rebuild figure is a current estimate or an inherited one. Most disappointing household claims are settlement reductions, not refusals.

Review my household cover
Two people shaking hands across a table at the end of a business meeting

02

Small business

Liability, premises, stock and interruption

For studios, trades, small manufacturers, clinics and shops — including businesses run from a converted part of a home.

Usually included

  • Public and products liability
  • Employers' liability where you have staff
  • Stock, tools and plant
  • Business interruption on a stated period

Usually not

  • Professional advice you give for a fee
  • Faulty workmanship itself, as distinct from damage caused
  • Tools left in an unattended vehicle overnight
  • Contractual penalties you agreed to

The decision that moves the price: your indemnity period. Twelve months is the default and is often too short for anything that needs a rebuild, a re-fit or a re-licence.

Review my business cover
Vehicles moving along a city road at dusk with headlights trailing

03

Vehicle & fleet

One van, five vans, or a car used for work

Private cars, light commercials, and small fleets that move between named drivers. Also the grey area of a personal car used on business journeys.

Usually included

  • Third-party injury and damage
  • Accidental damage, fire and theft
  • Windscreen cover on a separate excess
  • Courtesy or replacement vehicle terms

Usually not

  • Goods carried for hire or reward on a private policy
  • Unlisted modifications
  • Drivers outside the stated class of use
  • Keys left in the ignition

The decision that moves the price: class of use. Commuting, business use and carriage of own goods are three different things, and the wrong one voids more claims than speed ever does.

Review my vehicle cover
A family standing together outdoors on a bright afternoon

04

Life & income

What arrives if the earning stops

Term life, income protection and critical illness, arranged around what is already provided by an employer or a mortgage agreement.

Usually included

  • A fixed sum on death within the term
  • A monthly benefit after a deferred period
  • Cover written in trust where appropriate
  • Guaranteed rather than reviewable premiums

Usually not

  • Conditions you did not disclose at application
  • Loss of a contract, as opposed to loss of health
  • Benefit above a share of your usual earnings
  • Claims inside the deferred period

The decision that moves the price: the deferred period. Matching it to your sick pay and savings, rather than to the cheapest quote, is usually the whole exercise.

Review my protection

How a review runs

Three stages, and you can stop after any of them

A review is a piece of work, not a sales appointment. Nothing is placed until you have the written comparison in front of you.

I

Documents

You send the current schedule and wording. We read them and come back with questions — usually about changes made since the last renewal rather than about price.

II

Comparison

We mark the gaps, the duplicated cover and the sums that have fallen behind, then set your existing terms beside two or three alternatives, with commission shown.

III

Decision

You choose, including the option of keeping what you have. If you place cover with us, we hold the file and handle claim correspondence for as long as the policy runs.

Vela Thread's principal adviser seated at a meeting table in a dark suit

“The useful part of this job is unglamorous. It is checking whether the number on page four still describes the building, and whether the condition on page nine has quietly been breached.”

Rowan Adeyi-Marsh — Principal adviser, Vela Thread

Before you send anything

What to have ready

None of this is required to start a conversation. It simply shortens the review from weeks to days.

  • Current scheduleThe page listing sums insured, excesses and endorsements.
  • Policy wordingThe booklet or PDF, not the summary leaflet.
  • Changes since last renewalExtensions, new equipment, added drivers, new staff, a lodger.
  • Claims historyAnything notified in the last five years, settled or not.
  • Renewal dateSo we work backwards from it rather than rushing the last week.
  • Your tolerance for excessHow much of a small claim you would rather absorb yourself.

Questions worth asking

The seven we are asked most

Ask us these about any broker, including this one. The answers tell you more than a premium does.

How is a higher excess different from a lower sum insured?

An excess is the first slice of every claim you agree to carry. A sum insured is the ceiling on what the insurer will ever pay. Raising the excess trims the premium and only hurts on small claims. Letting the sum insured fall behind hurts on the claim you actually feared, and it can reduce a large settlement proportionally even when the loss is smaller than the limit.

What does underinsurance actually do to a settlement?

If the sum insured represents only part of the true value at risk, many policies pay only that proportion of the loss. Insure a building for half its rebuild cost and a partial claim can be cut to half, even though the figure claimed sits well under the limit. This is the single most common reason a valid claim pays less than expected, and it is entirely preventable at review.

When should I notify something that might not be a claim?

As soon as you are aware of circumstances that could lead to one. Notification is not the same as claiming, and late notification is itself a ground for an insurer to decline. If you are unsure whether an incident qualifies, tell us and let the file record the date.

Can I move cover in the middle of a policy year?

Usually yes, though it is rarely the cheapest moment. Cancelling mid-term often returns less than the unused months and can restart no-claims terms. The exception is a genuine gap in cover, where waiting until renewal is the more expensive decision. We will say which situation you are in.

How are you paid, and does it change what you recommend?

Either a commission from the insurer or a fee agreed with you, and occasionally a mix of both. The figure appears on your comparison next to each option, including the options we earn nothing on. If a recommendation ever depends on how we are paid, you should be able to see it and challenge it.

Do I need business interruption cover if my premises are rented?

Frequently, yes. Your landlord's policy insures the building, not your trading. Business interruption responds to lost gross profit and increased cost of working while you cannot operate, and the figure that matters is the indemnity period rather than the limit. Short periods are the usual mistake.

What is never covered, whatever I pay?

Deliberate acts, known defects you failed to disclose, normal wear and gradual deterioration, and losses that were certain rather than fortuitous. Some risks — notably certain flood, cyber and contractual liabilities — are available but require specific wording rather than a standard policy. We will tell you which category your worry sits in before you buy anything.

Request a cover review

Send us the policy you already hold

Tell us what you want examined. You will get a written summary of options, with the gaps and the commission marked, and no obligation to move anything.

  • Reviews are scheduled around your renewal date, not ours.
  • We will say plainly if your current cover is already the right answer.
  • Your details are used for the review only, and nothing is placed without your instruction.

We reply with a written summary of options. No cover is arranged until you say so.