Architects insurance

Specialist cover for residential architects from £5 a month*

  • Fast, easy online quote in 90 seconds

  • Interest free direct debit

  • No hidden fees or cancellation charges

As a specialist insurer with over 25 years’ experience of insuring architects, we offer expert knowledge of the risks facing architectural professionals.

Ensuring you have the appropriate level of architect insurance is a worthwhile consideration. Our specialist insurance cover can be tailored to meet the insurance requirements of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologies (CIAT).

Do architects need insurance?

Regardless of the size of your practice, architects face a whole range of risks. An error in a building design, damage caused to a work site during a visit or a fire at your offices destroying thousands of pounds worth of computers could cause serious financial problems for your business.

Our specialist architect insurance can be tailored to the specific needs of your business, giving you the peace of mind that if something goes wrong, you are covered.

What insurance do architects need?

Architects insurance from Markel Direct provides a range of covers, from architects professional indemnity insurance and public liability insurance, to legal expenses insurance, that are created to protect against the risks architects most often experience. This includes:

An error in your work

Some calculations in your drawings are incorrect which causes errors in the build and delays to the construction. Your client takes legal action against you seeking compensation for the delay.

Property damage

An example of a public liability claim could be that you go to visit a client on site. While you’re there, you accidently knock a coffee over their laptop and the water damage stops it from working. Your client expects you to pay for the repair.

Data breach

You are the victim of a cybercrime which not only stops your business-critical device from working efficiently, but also leads to confidential client data being stolen. You have to report this personal data breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and pay damages to your client, as well as paying to have your own laptop fixed.

Architects professional indemnity insurance

If your business faces an accusation of professional negligence, then you could face hefty costs in terms of legal fees and potential damages. It could be that you provided incorrect advice to a client that they then acted upon, which led to structural damage as a result. If so, professional indemnity insurance is the form of cover that you’d require in this situation.

Architect public liability insurance

Public liability insurance steps in to keep you covered should a member of the public suffer an injury or damage to their property as a result of your business activities. Pay-outs in such situations can be incredibly expensive, so it’s a form of insurance that you should give  consideration.

How much does architects insurance cost?

At Markel Direct, we offer architects insurance from £5 a month for £1 million worth of public liability cover*. When it comes to insurance, the cost varies from business to business depending on;

  • The size of your business  - your turnover and whether you have any employees
  • The level of cover you choose
  • The types of projects you work on and the equipment you use.

To get a clearer idea of how much you’ll pay, simply get a quote online.

How to buy architects insurance

You can obtain a quote and buy architects insurance in minutes using our simple online quote system.

We’ll ask you a few questions about you and your business activities so that we can offer you covers which may be suitable for your specific business needs.

This means you can add on which covers you feel are most suitable - or you can choose to buy them all. The benefit of this is that you will only ever pay for the type and level of insurance you need.

*Price based on an architect requiring £1 million of public liability insurance

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Cover starting at £5 a month

Tailor your architecture insurance in minutes with these covers

  • Architects PI insurance

    Professional indemnity insurance covers the cost of defending your business against allegations of professional negligence (such as giving your client incorrect or wrongful advice) and if unsuccessful, the cost of damages awarded against you. This cover is mandatory for many architectural professions, and our PI insurance for architects is available with limits ranging from £100,000 to £5m.

  • Public and product liability insurance

    Public and product liability insurance covers the cost of defending your business (including damages awarded against you if unsuccessful) if someone is injured, or their property damaged, which arises from you going about your business or supplying products. The legal fees alone could cost your business thousands of pounds. If you regularly visit building sites, clients visit your offices or you come into contact with members of the public, you may need this cover. Limits range from £1m to £5m.

  • Employer’s liability insurance

    Employer’s liability insurance is a legal requirement if your business has employees. It covers your business against claims for injury or illness suffered by employees arising from their employment. If your architecture practice has employees, you need this cover. Cover for £10m.

  • Legal expenses insurance

    Commercial legal expenses insurance covers the costs of defending you as a director or officer of your company against allegations of wrongful acts and any damages subsequently awarded against you. Cover is also provided for the legal costs and expenses of defending actions for disqualification as a director, investigations and extradition proceedings. Limits range from £100,000 to £5m.

  • Directors and officers insurance

    Directors and officers insurance covers the costs of defending you as a director or officer of your company against allegations of wrongful acts and any damages subsequently awarded against you. Cover is also provided in respect of the legal costs and expenses of defending actions for disqualification as a director, investigations and extradition proceedings. Limits range from £100,000 to £5m.

  • Office insurance

    Office insurance covers your office buildings, office contents and computer equipment against accidental damage (including theft) whilst on your business premises. You can also choose to cover your business equipment (such as laptops and mobile phones) on a worldwide basis, and insure your business against loss of income and/or additional trading expenses following events such as damage to your property.

  • Occupational personal accident insurance

    Occupational personal accident insurance provides a weekly payment if you are unable to work due to temporary total disablement (subject to a 14-day deferment period) due to an accident at work, or when travelling to and from work. In the event of loss of limbs, sight, speech, hearing, permanent total disablement or death, a lump sum would be paid out. You should consider this cover if you would struggle to maintain an income following an accident that left you unable to work. Limits from £100/week to £500/week for temporary total disablement (£25k lump sum to £100k lump sum for permanent total disablement).

  • Cyber and data risks insurance

    Cyber insurance pays the costs of restoring data and equipment, informing clients, meeting ransom demands and loss of your net profit following a cyber-attack. It also pays your legal defence costs and damages you are legally liable to pay to other parties. If you hold confidential information about your clients and their projects on computers and other internet connected devices, you should consider to this cover.

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Frequently asked questions

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Cover starting at £5 a month

Frequently asked questions

  • Do architects need professional indemnity insurance?

    Professional indemnity insurance covers against allegations of professional negligence - which means it would cover you if you were to make an error or mistake in a piece of work (such as a project or report) for a client. Ensuring you have the appropriate cover in place is a worthwhile consideration.

  • Do architects need public liability insurance?

    Public liability insurance covers against allegations of injury or illness caused to third parties by your negligence. This includes many of the slips, trips and falls that are associated with personal injury claims. In addition, public liability insurance covers against damage to third party property - for example, if you were to damage a client-owned laptop or smartphone.

  • I need to arrange insurance to start work - do you provide proof of cover?

    Yes. We provide a dedicated 'Confirmation of Liability Insurance' document (detailing the cover you have with us) as part of the documents that are emailed to you if you purchase your policy with us. You can present this document to agencies and clients as proof that you are insured.

  • What's the difference between professional indemnity and public liability?

    Professional indemnity insurance covers against allegations of professional negligence - which means it would cover you if you were to make an error or mistake in a piece of work (such as a project or report) for a client.

    Public liability insurance covers against allegations of injury or illness caused to third parties by your negligence. This includes many of the slips, trips and falls that are associated with personal injury claims. In addition, public liability insurance covers against damage to third party property - for example, if you were to damage a client-owned laptop or smartphone.

    As they insure against different scenarios, it's important you consider arranging both types of cover to ensure you are properly protected.

  • What limit of cover should I choose?

    Many clients and industry bodies with regulatory requirements will require you to have a minimum level of cover for you to undertake a contract, so it's worth checking this before you arrange cover. If you're unsure, give some thought to a worst-case scenario and the likely costs involved in putting your mistake right. We offer a range of limits on insurance, so you're sure to find the right cover for your business.

  • Why should I choose Markel Direct's Insurance

    Markel Direct has over 25 years of experience insuring contractors, consultants and self-employed professionals. We insure over 200,000 micro businesses and are highly rated by our customers at Feefo.com.

    We are a division of Markel International, a Lloyd’s of London market insurer that wrote gross premium totals of £2.4bn in 2023

    To talk about your insurance requirements and better understand our cover, call us on 0330 822 3551 or get a quick quote online.

  • How are Markel Direct regulated?

    Markel Direct is a trading name of Markel International Insurance Company Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Find out more on the Financial Services Register.

    We are a division of Markel International, a Lloyd’s of London market insurer that wrote gross premium totals of £2.4bn in 2023

Access specialist services for you architect business with Markel Direct

As an expert in insurance for architects and engineering consultants, our customers receive access to unique services (included as standard with certain covers) designed to make your life easier.

24 hour legal helpline 24 hour legal advice helpline

When you insure with Markel, you'll benefit from 24/7 telephone access to a qualified solicitor at no additional cost. Expert legal advice can be costly when you're working for yourself and it's difficult to know who to turn to for a trustworthy answer. Whether it's a question on health and safety, employment law, legal structures for your business or how to handle a difficult client, an experienced team of solicitors are on hand day and night to help you with any business-related legal queries. Included as standard with all policies.

Legal hub access Markel Business Hub access

In addition to our 24 hour legal helpline, you'll have access to the Markel Business Hub - an award winning online resource of legal and business guides, templates and content written and created by our team of expert solicitors. Instantly download ready-made contracts, policies, procedures and guidance you can use for your business - without paying any expensive legal fees. Included as standard with all policies.

  Fee dispute service

Customers don't always pay on time and chasing fees or invoices costs time and money. Mindful of the impact this has on your business, we offer our policyholders access to a unique fee dispute helpline operated by one of the UK's leading law firms, who will provide specialist legal guidance and support on fee dispute issues. Included as standard with professional indemnity insurance.

  Discounted IR35 contract reviews

Falling within IR35 legislation - which determines that an individual is avoiding tax by using a limited company to disguise employment - is a huge concern for engineering contractors and consultants, with the fees and penalties due to HMRC eye-wateringly high. Our policyholders receive an exclusive discount on IR35 contract reviews from Markel Tax (a Markel company), who have over 20 years experience advising individuals and businesses on their tax status. As part of the service, Markel Tax will review your contract, along with your working practices, to determine whether or not you are operating outside of IR35, and you'll receive a written report with suggested contract amendments where appropriate. Policyholders can access this service by calling 0345 223 2727 or emailing contractreviews@markel.com, quoting 'MKLD' and your policy number.

  Public relations crisis management service

In today's 24 hour news culture, public relations disasters can occur at any time. Having to deal with the press whilst managing a difficult situation can be hugely stressful as well as being a potential minefield. When there is a risk to your business as a result of negative press attention, our specialist public relations crisis management firm, The Counsel House, will work with you to help manage allegations of fraud, injury caused to employees or the public, and official investigations into your company's affairs. Included as standard with professional indemnity insurance, directors and officers insurance, cyber and data risks insurance and legal representation and employment disputes insurance.

  Cyber response helpline

If you're the victim of a targeted cyber attack, our cyber response helpline provides access to specialist solicitors and information security experts who will give expert legal and technical IT security guidance on the issues arising from cyber and data protection risks. Included as standard with cyber and data risks insurance.

Cover starting at £5 a month

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