If you are offering a service to the public, whether as an expert in your field, a business adviser, a management consultant or any other professional occupation, we understand that there may be times when you need some extra support with issues which may fall outside of your control.

Our professional liability policies are tailored by our experts precisely to your business.

Everyone should have confidence in their expertise and skills. However, when it comes to work, everybody makes mistakes. Professional indemnity insurance is there to protect you if your client suffers a financial loss through your work for them.

If your business gives advice, offers a professional service, or handles data or intellectual property belonging to a client or business, you could at some point need professional indemnity insurance. This cover is there to protect you against the cost of a claim made against you for negligence or a mistake that leaves the client out of pocket. Even if you’ve done nothing wrong, the cost of defending yourself against these claims can be very high. Professional indemnity cover can help protect you and your business from this.

Features

With flexible limits of indemnity, key features vary depending on your profession and any professional body that you belong to, but policies often include:

Public liability – to cover you should you be sued by a member of the public if they are injured as a result of your negligence

Products liability – covering you should any of your products cause harm to a member of the public

Professional indemnity – should the advice or guidance that you give to your clients be incorrect and leads to loss or injury to them

Libel and slander – to cover you should someone feel that you have written or said something about them that is inappropriate

Typical Exclusions:
  • Asbestos
  • Bodily injury to an employed person (this would fall under employer liability insurance, which we also offer)
  • Damage to property owned or in your custody and control
  • Legal liability for which compulsory motor insurance is required
  • Liquidated damages, fines and penalties
  • Pollution and contamination unless pollution or contamination is sudden or unforeseen

Exclusions will change depending on your profession and your adviser will take you through these during the quotation process. This list of exclusions is a summary and is not a full list of all exclusions that may apply.

Am I required to take out professional liability insurance?

Whilst professional liability insurance is not a legal requirement, litigation against professionals has generally increased in recent years. It is important to remember that you don’t necessarily need to have done anything wrong . All it takes is someone to allege that you have and you will have to defend yourself against the allegation, which could involve significant legal costs. Our policy would come into effect from the moment an allegation was made against you. Many professional associations now strongly recommend or even insist that you have insurance in place before you can take out membership.

Am I covered if I see clients at home?

Yes, the policy covers you to work at or from any location, provided that you live, and are based in the UK. This includes your home and the cover is not restricted in any way by working from home. You may find, however, that your home insurers restrict or invalidate your home insurance if you have business visitors to your home. If this is the case, Adler Insurance Brokers can arrange a special ‘homeworkers’ insurance policy, which will cover you to see clients at home or if you keep work items there.

What should I do if I think I might need to claim?

You should notify us immediately, even if you only think you might need to make a claim. We are here to help and quick action could mitigate costs or even prevent a claim. Equally, if you have a routine query on which you would like our opinion, we are always happy to help.

What happens if I retire or cease trading?

You can lapse your policy from the next renewal date. We can also provide ‘run-off’ cover from the date the policy lapses. If you take out this cover and claims come in after you have retired, they will be covered if they arise from your business activity as stated on your certificate. If someone decides to sue you, they have up to 3 years in which to make a compensation claim from the date they discover their loss, so this cover would ensure that any late claims are still covered. You must contact us to arrange this cover, and a charge will apply.

At Adler Insurance Brokers we are committed to providing you with a high-quality service, which we expect to maintain throughout the duration of the policy. In the event of the worst happening, you will deal direct with our in-house claims team. This means we can get the results you need as quickly as possible.

Simply contact our claims team using the details within your policy documents, or call us on 0121 764 7563 and we will put you through to the claims team. They will talk through your claim, guiding you through your next steps and  the whole process.

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