Insurance risk survey report template (free download)
An underwriter reading a risk survey wants to answer two questions quickly: how likely is a loss at this site, and how big could it be? The report that answers them best is organised around construction, occupancy, protection and exposure (COPE), with management controls and loss estimates on top.
This template follows that structure, then ends with prioritised risk improvement recommendations, the part of the report the insured will actually act on. Keep each recommendation tied to a finding earlier in the report, so nobody has to guess why it was raised.
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Insurance risk survey report
A pre-insurance risk survey laid out the way underwriters read it: construction, occupancy, protection and exposure, then loss estimates and risk improvements.
1. Risk details
2. Construction
| Building | Walls | Roof | Floors | Combustible panels? | Year built | Area (m²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3. Occupancy and processes
4. Protection
- Automatic sprinkler protection Yes No N/A
- Automatic fire detection, monitored Yes No N/A
- Hydrants and hose reels Yes No N/A
- Portable extinguishers, in date Yes No N/A
- Fire protection maintenance records sighted Yes No N/A
- Monitored intruder alarm Yes No N/A
- CCTV Yes No N/A
- Perimeter security and lighting Yes No N/A
5. Exposures
6. Management and housekeeping
- Housekeeping standard acceptable Yes No N/A
- Hot work permit system in use Yes No N/A
- Thermographic scanning of switchboards Yes No N/A
- Smoking controlled to designated areas Yes No N/A
- Emergency plan and trained wardens Yes No N/A
7. Loss estimates and recommendations
| Ref | Recommendation | Finding it addresses | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
What the insurance risk survey report covers, section by section
1. Risk details
Who and where, plus the people you met. Underwriters weight a survey differently when the site contact was the owner rather than a casual employee.
Fields to capture: Insured name; Site address; Broker / insurer; Survey date and surveyor; Persons met (name and role); Business description.
2. Construction
Wall, roof and floor construction for each building, with particular attention to combustible elements. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) sandwich panel is the classic example underwriters will ask about.
Fields to capture: a register with columns: Building, Walls, Roof, Floors, Combustible panels?, Year built, Area (m²).
3. Occupancy and processes
What happens in each area and what could start or feed a fire: processes, hot work, storage, ignition sources.
Fields to capture: Processes and hazards; Storage type, height and combustibility; Hot work carried out?; Hazardous materials on site.
4. Protection
Fire and security protection, and whether it is maintained. Record what you saw tested or the date on the maintenance records, not what the site says it has.
Fields to capture: Automatic sprinkler protection; Automatic fire detection, monitored; Hydrants and hose reels; Portable extinguishers, in date; Fire protection maintenance records sighted; Monitored intruder alarm; CCTV; Perimeter security and lighting.
5. Exposures
Hazards from outside the insured’s control: neighbouring occupancies, separation distances, and natural hazards such as bushfire, flood and storm.
Fields to capture: Neighbouring occupancies and separation; Natural hazard exposure (bushfire, flood, storm).
6. Management and housekeeping
The controls that decide whether a small incident stays small.
Fields to capture: Housekeeping standard acceptable; Hot work permit system in use; Thermographic scanning of switchboards; Smoking controlled to designated areas; Emergency plan and trained wardens.
7. Loss estimates and recommendations
Your loss scenario and estimate, then recommendations ranked by priority. Each recommendation should name the finding it addresses.
Fields to capture: Loss scenario; Estimated maximum loss (property / business interruption); a register with columns: Ref, Recommendation, Finding it addresses, Priority.
Tips from the field
- State the basis of every loss estimate: which building, which scenario, which protection you assumed failed or worked.
- Photograph the sprinkler valve set and the fire panel status, with the date visible on any maintenance tag.
- Write recommendations as actions with an owner (“install a monitored detection system in the warehouse”), not observations.
- Record the risk improvements from the previous survey and whether each was completed.
Frequently asked questions
What goes into an insurance risk survey report?
Details of the insured and site, then construction, occupancy, protection and exposure (often called COPE), management and housekeeping controls, a loss estimate and prioritised risk improvement recommendations, supported by photos.
What does COPE stand for?
Construction, occupancy, protection and exposure: the four headings underwriters use to assess property risk. Most commercial risk survey reports are organised around them.
How should risk improvement recommendations be written?
As specific actions tied to a finding in the report, with a priority. For example, “Install monitored smoke detection in the warehouse (finding 4.2), high priority”, rather than a general comment about fire safety.
Fill this in on your phone and generate the report automatically
Build these sections as a SurveyThanks form, capture photos and answers on site, and the finished report renders into your own Word template.