People who sell their knowledge or skills should consider taking out professional indemnity (PI) insurance to protect their business against claims for loss or damage made by a client or any other third party.
This can arise if you’ve made a mistake or have been negligent in some way. It can also cover your legal costs.
We can arrange PI cover for solicitors, architects, estate agents, structural engineers, recruitment agents, IT professionals, accountants, web designers, financial advisors and much more. If you don’t fit into any of these categories, we can still find the right PI cover for you. If you are specifically looking for professional indemnity insurance for a legal practice, please see our Solicitors Professional Indemnity Insurance page.
Many professions are required by law to take out professional indemnity cover, or as part of their professional accreditation (for example, solicitors and surveyors). Others choose to have the protection place, such as IT consultants and advertising, design and PR agencies.
Key benefits
- Competitive quotations
- Fast Turnaround & Instant Cover
- Friendly , efficient service from qualified staff
- Bespoke policy wordings
- Cover available for all types of firm – small or large
- Cover for new start -ups
Professions Covered
- Architects
- Surveyors
- Estate agents
- Financial Advisors
- Careers advisors
- Recruitment agents
- IT professionals
- HR Consultants
- Web Designers
- Photographers
- And many more…
Professional Indemnity Insurance FAQs
Professional indemnity insurance protects businesses that provide advice, services, designs or consultancy work. If a client claims your work caused them a financial loss, the policy can help with legal costs, compensation claims and defending allegations of negligence or mistakes.
Professional indemnity insurance is suitable for a wide range of professions and consultants. These include architects, solicitors, independent financial advisers (IFAs), accountants, web designers and developers, HR consultants, health and safety consultants, engineers, surveyors, IT consultants, marketing agencies, recruitment consultants, graphic designers, management consultants and training providers. In simple terms, if your clients rely on your professional advice, knowledge, designs or recommendations, professional indemnity insurance is worth considering.
Architects are regularly exposed to claims involving design errors, specification issues or project delays. Professional indemnity insurance is often required under contract and can help protect against potentially significant legal costs and compensation claims.
Yes. Solicitors are generally required to carry professional indemnity insurance as part of their regulatory obligations. Claims can arise from incorrect advice, missed deadlines, administrative errors or breaches of confidentiality. If you are specifically looking for cover for a legal practice, please see our Solicitors Professional Indemnity Insurance page.
Financial advisers deal with recommendations that can have major financial consequences for clients. If a client believes unsuitable advice has caused a loss, professional indemnity insurance can help cover legal defence costs and potential compensation.
Yes. Web designers, developers and IT consultants can face claims relating to coding errors, failed projects, cyber issues, data breaches or website downtime. Even a relatively small mistake can sometimes lead to costly disputes with clients.
HR consultants advise businesses on sensitive areas such as recruitment, disciplinary procedures, employment law and workplace disputes. If a client alleges your advice led to financial loss or legal action, professional indemnity insurance can help protect your business.
Health and safety consultants provide advice businesses rely on to remain compliant and operate safely. If guidance is alleged to be incorrect or incomplete, the resulting claims can be extremely expensive to defend.
Cover varies between insurers, but policies can typically include negligence claims, errors or omissions, breach of professional duty, legal defence costs, defamation, breach of confidentiality, loss of documents or data, and intellectual property disputes. The policy is designed to protect your business if a client claims your professional services caused them a financial loss.
Professional indemnity insurance covers claims relating to advice, services or financial loss. Public liability insurance covers injury or property damage caused to third parties during your business activities. Many businesses benefit from having both types of cover in place.
Not always. However, some professions and regulatory bodies require businesses to hold professional indemnity insurance. It is also common for contracts and tenders to specify minimum levels of cover before work can begin.
The amount of cover required depends on the type of work you carry out, the size of contracts, your turnover and any contractual requirements. Some businesses may only require £100,000 of cover, while others may need several million pounds.
Professional indemnity insurance is usually arranged on a “claims made” basis. This means your policy may still cover previous work completed before the policy started, provided you have maintained continuous cover and have the correct retroactive date in place.
A retroactive date is the point from which your previous work is covered under the policy. Maintaining continuous cover is important, particularly for consultants and professional firms carrying out long-term work.
Yes. Many sole traders, freelancers and small businesses arrange professional indemnity insurance. In fact, smaller businesses can often be more financially vulnerable if a client dispute or negligence claim arises.
The cost depends on several factors including your profession, turnover, claims history, level of cover required, type of work undertaken and contract size and exposure. Higher-risk professions such as solicitors and financial advisers will usually pay more than lower-risk consultancy businesses.
Yes. Motts Insurance arrange professional indemnity insurance for a wide range of UK businesses including consultants, solicitors, property professionals, technology firms, designers and specialist advisers. As an independent insurance broker based in Penarth near Cardiff, we provide straightforward advice and access to a wide range of insurers to help find suitable cover for your business.