Frequently asked questions

If you are experiencing temporary difficulty in paying your premium or you want to discuss the cover under your policy, please get in touch.

Yes. Your insurance policy automatically provides cover for working with clients remotely, including using an audio or video service such as Zoom or Skype.

Many of our customers have begun doing this as a way of continuing business and retaining clients during the COVID-19 pandemic, and you do not need to contact us to include it on your policy.

Please note that your sessions/instruction must be done on a live basis and to your client (or clients, if part of a group session) only. Your policy does not provide cover for pre-recorded videos that are uploaded to a video platform (e.g. YouTube) for anyone to access.

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.

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.

Markel 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 and 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 0800 640 6600 or get a quick quote online.

If you provide advice, designs or any other professional service to your clients, you should give serious consideration to professional indemnity insurance. Without it, you could be liable for thousands of pounds worth of legal fees and compensation payments payable to your client if you are found to have been negligent in your services to them.

In addition, many clients will require you to have professional indemnity insurance in place in order to begin work on a contract, or your industry association's membership requirements may stipulate that you must hold a minimum limit of cover.

If you interact with clients or members of the public as part of your business' activities, you should give consideration to public liability insurance. It covers against many of the slip, trip and fall claims that have become so common, it covers the costs of defending your business against the allegation and, if unsuccessful, compensation payments that may be due to the injured party. In addition, public liability insurance covers against damage to third party property.

While it's easy to think 'it will never happen to us', the fact is that many claims are unexpected and can't be avoided. Without cover in place, your business could face financial ruin if a claim has to be settled out of your own pocket.

We offer cover from as little as £5 a month, giving you peace of mind that if a claim were brought against your business, you'd be covered.

Professional indemnity insurance claims can be wide-ranging, but some examples are given below:

Management consultant - a business plan provided to a client doesn't deliver the expected results. They claim against you for their financial loss.

IT contractor - a website, application or software provided to your client isn't fit for purpose. They claim against you for the cost of putting the mistake right.

Engineering contractor - some CAD work you undertake for a client contains the wrong measurements and causes long delays to your client's project. They claim against you for the cost of putting the mistake right.

Fitness professionals - a client injures themselves during a session. They make a claim against you alleging that you failed to properly explain how to perform the exercise.

Photographers - a client alleges that the photographs taken aren't suitable for use, or a memory card corrupts and you lose all the day's shots. They claim against you for the cost of re-organising the shoot.

Teacher/tutor - a client doesn't achieve the necessary grades to pass their exams. They claim against you for the financial losses suffered.

Public liability insurance claims can be wide-ranging, but the most common ones include:

Slips - a customer visits your place of work (be it your office, home or a hired premises) and slips on a wet floor, breaking their arm. They are unable to work and claim against you for the financial loss they have suffered.

Trips - a client trips over a loose wire plugged into your laptop and sprains their wrist. They make a compensation claim against you.

Falls - a client falls down some  stairs following a meeting and break a leg. They claim against you for the time they have to take off work and rehabilitation bills.

Damage to third party property - during a meeting, you accidentally spill a drink over a client's laptop. They claim against you for the cost of repairing it.

Yes. If you purchase your policy with us, your documents are emailed to you instantly and include a dedicated 'Confirmation of Liability Insurance' document (detailing the cover you have with us) which you can present to agencies and clients as proof of cover.

This could be down to a number of reasons, but ultimately it comes down to our insurance policy not being suitable for your business. This could be due to:

• Your business operating in an industry which we do not cover
• Your business being too large for us to cover directly (although we may be able to do it insure you through an insurance broker)
• Your business undertaking a certain type of work or activity which our policy would exclude
• A large proportion of your business’ income coming from overseas

These are the most common reasons we are unable to offer insurance (if you need more information on why we can’t insure you, feel free to call us, but unfortunately if we can’t quote you online we won’t be able to offer a quotation over the phone either). If you’re stuck for who to turn to for your insurance, we’d suggest speaking to the British Insurance Brokers’ Association who can put you in touch with an independent insurance broker.

You can call us on 0800 640 6600. Alternatively, click here to contact us.

You can call us on 0800 640 6600. Alternatively, click here to contact us.

We are open Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays) 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. Tel: 0800 640 6600.

Go to My Area and click the 'Forgotten password' link

If you purchased either professional liability insurance and/or general (public/products) liability insurance you will have received a Confirmation of Liability Insurance document with your emailed insurance documents.

Your customers (e.g. Local authorities) often ask for confirmation of insurance cover in respect of these types of liability and, if you provide them with a copy of this document, it should suffice in most instances.

The document can also be downloaded from My Area.

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If you provide advice, training or act as a consultant, this provides protection for the consequences caused by mistakes, errors or omissions made by you - your professional risk. Public/Products Liability insurance does not generally cover these risks.

Please refer to the relevant summary of cover for a more detailed explanation of the cover we provide.

Find out more about professional indemnity insurance.

This can be a difficult choice and can vary from business to business.

One way of assessing your ideal level of cover is to look at the number of clients you have and what the cost would be if things went wrong – if you gave the wrong advice or were negligent etc.

You may have to have a minimum level of cover to satisfy the requirements of your professional body or to meet the terms of a contract with a client so it's best to check these before making a decision.

Our general liability insurance includes public liability insurance and product liability insurance.

In going about your day to day business, you run the risk of causing injury or damage to third parties or their property; Public liability protects you from these risks. This can arise at your premises, at those you hire or whilst you are visiting the premises of others, including your customers. Slipping, tripping or damaging something belonging to a third party are all examples of what can happen. Professional indemnity insurance (also known as professional liability insurance) does not cover these risks.

Similarly, should you supply any product, be it a book, training equipment or even a cup of tea, product liability insurance affords appropriate protection.

Please refer to the relevant summary of cover for a more detailed explanation of the cover we provide.

Find out more about public and product liability insurance.

Directors and officers of a company, and any person acting in a managerial or supervisory capacity, can be held personally liable for any act or omission made in relation to the running of the business (not the professional risk which would be catered for by professional indemnity insurance). They can also face investigations from 'official' authorities. This provides protection for their personal wealth and covers the costs incurred in defending their position.

Please refer to the relevant summary of cover for a more detailed explanation of the cover we provide.

Find out more about directors and officers insurance.

This can be a difficult decision to make, particularly as it is your personal wealth that is at risk.  Be mindful that legal costs can be expensive in such situations.

If you employ staff, you are required by law to have employer's liability insurance for a minimum level of cover of £5,000,000. The policy covers you for claims for compensation brought against you by employees if they are injured or become ill at work. Our policy provides £10,000,000 worth of cover as standard.

Please refer to the relevant summary of cover for a more detailed explanation of the cover we provide.

Find out more about employer's liability insurance.

Our policy provides cover for up to £10,000,000 as standard.

This covers damage to your building (even if you don't own them but where the lease or rental agreement makes you responsible for arranging insurance) along with the office contents, computer equipment and the like whilst within the buildings.

The buildings sum insured should represent the cost of rebuilding the property and not its market value. The Sum Insured for contents should be the cost of replacing the property as new.

Cover is provided on an 'accidental damage' basis but certain causes of damage are not covered - please refer to the relevant summary of cover for a more detailed explanation of the cover we provide.

Find out more on our office insurance page.

This section covers portable business equipment such as computer equipment, photographic equipment, mobile phones etc.  Cover applies anywhere in the world (including at your premises) and is on an ‘all risks’ basis (there are some exclusions so please refer to the relevant summary of cover for a more detailed explanation of the cover we provide)

Find out more on our office insurance page.

Should your premises be damaged and you are unable to go about your normal business activities, this covers you for any loss of income as well as additional expenses (this can range from renting additional premises to taking on temporary staff to complete a contract on time). Alternatively, you can choose to restrict cover to insure just the additional expenses incurred in order to keep you business going.

Please refer to the relevant summary of cover for a more detailed explanation of the cover we provide.

Find out more on our office insurance page.

‘Money’ cover is there to help replace cash and other types of negotiable and non-negotiable money if it is lost (or stolen) whilst in transit or from your premises, night safe etc.

The maximum we pay out depends on where the money was lost.

‘Personal Assault’ cover provides certain benefits to you, your employees and members of your or your employees family if they are injured as a result of robbery or attempted robbery in the course of your business.

(Please refer to the relevant summary of cover for a more detailed explanation of the cover we provide).

No – we are only able to provide cover for businesses domiciled/registered within the UK.  (Please note that we are unable to quote for some covers in Northern Ireland)

At the present time we are unable to assist if your business is not listed.

It is highly unlikely that a home insurance policy would cover you for risks arising out of running your business at home.  You will almost certainly need separate business insurance.

A ‘claims made’ policy provides cover for claims made against you (and reported to us) during the policy period.

Claims notified after the expiry of this period – for example if the policy has not been renewed or if you have moved to another insurer – will not be covered, these would have to be dealt with by your new insurer or, if you have not arranged further insurance, by yourself. However, claims made against you during the policy period that relate to an incident that occurred prior to the policy period and of which you had no previous knowledge will probably be covered by our policy.

It is important that you tell us straight away if you become aware of anything that might result in a claim being made against you or you seeking the protection of the cover provided by your policy, as this is a requirement of your policy.

Professional Liability insurance and Directors and Officers Liability insurance are traditionally arranged on a ‘claims made’ basis.

Liability policies have a policy ‘limit’ – the maximum amount that we will pay out. If the limit is ‘any one claim’ this means that the most we will pay out per claim is the limit specified. You could have several claims in the same policy period and whilst each would be subject to the specified limit there would be no overall limit.
If the policy is on an ‘aggregate’ basis then the limit is the maximum we will pay out in the policy period irrespective of the number of claims you may have.

‘Civil Liability’ is any liability that you may incur other than a criminal one. It therefore includes, amongst others, negligence, defamation, unintentional breach of copyright etc.

Some liabilities are excluded so it is important that you read the relevant summary of cover for a more detailed explanation of the cover we provide.

You have a duty to provide us with a fair presentation of the risks we are being asked to insure.

A fair presentation of the risk is one

• Which discloses to us every material circumstance which you know of or ought to know of
• Gives us sufficient information to put us on notice that we will need to make further enquiries for the purpose of revealing those material circumstances, and
• Which makes that disclosure in a manner which I reasonably clear and accessible to us, and
• In which every material representation as to a matter of fact is substantially correct and every material representation as to a matter of expectation or belief is made in good faith

A material circumstance is one that would influence our decision as to whether or not to agree to insure you and if so, the terms of the insurance.  If you are in any doubt as to whether a circumstance is material you should disclose it to us.

If in doubt as to whether some piece of information is relevant tell us anyway, call us on 0800 640 6600.

The ‘excess’ is the amount you have to contribute to a claim.

If there is a £100 excess on your policy and the claim comes to, say £500, we would pay you £400 and you would have to bear the first £100 yourself.

Your quote is valid for 30 days

If you call us we would have to take you through the online questions so it is easier and quicker for you if you complete the questions yourself and then decide if you would still like to talk to us or are happy to go ahead and buy the policy online.

As well as these FAQs there are information boxes throughout the online process to provide you with additional information or to clarify questions etc (just hover the cursor over the help icons next to each question).

Copies of all wordings and summaries of cover for all our products are on this website.

If you have a query that is not covered by the information buttons or the FAQs you can phone us on 0800 640 6600 (during business hours, request a callback from the quote page, or use our ‘contact us’ page.

We need to clarify something with you before we can proceed.  Please call us on 0800 640 6600 or request a callback from the quote page.

We can for certain professions.  In the quote system, when you are asked ‘Does this encompass all your activities for which you require insurance?’ select ‘No’ – we can insure you for up to six activities.

At the present time we are unable to assist if your trade is not listed.

Click on the ‘Amend Quote’ button in the email we sent you with your quote details. Enter your amended details and then click the ‘Quote me’ button to obtain your new quote.
If you have registered with us you can also access your quote by going to our website and logging-on.

If you have a query that is not covered by the information buttons or the FAQs you can phone us on 0800 640 6600 (during business hours) or use our 'contact us' page.

Yes, provided you have saved it.

Click on the link in the email we sent you with your quote details or, provided you have registered with us, log-on our website.

Click on the 'Buy now' button on the quote page

If you register with us we keep the information you have entered in the Registration page in order that you can log-into 'My Area'

We do not keep your bank or card details.

We do not pass any of your details to third parties.

If you do not take up a quote it is deleted after 30 days.

On our Registration page we ask you if you want to subscribe to our newsletter. If you don't want to just un-tick the box. If you do subscribe you can change your mind at any time by simply clicking on the 'unsubscribe' link on the email containing our newsletter.

We do not pass on your email address or other details to anyone else.

Yes, just click on the 'unsubscribe' link at the bottom of the email.

Simply click on the 'Buy now' button on the quote page.

You can pay in 10 monthly instalments by direct debit with 0% APR. Or you can pay in one lump sum by debit card, credit card (we cannot accept American Express/AMEX), cheque (selected products only) or bank transfer (selected products only). 

If you choose to pay by card, for your convenience, we'll use these card details for any future additional premiums, refunds or renewals relating to your policy. If you would prefer us not to do this, please call us on 0800 640 6600.

Call us (during business hours) on 0800 640 6600.

If you pay by credit/debit card we will email a receipt to you shortly after payment.

If you pay by direct debit a payment schedule will be sent to you by Premium Credit Ltd.

If paying by debit or credit card payment is taken immediately. If paying by instalments the first payment is usually taken within 14 days of cover commencing but you will receive a payment schedule prior to this.

Cheques should be made payable to Markel (UK) Limited.

(Please note, we only accept payment by cheque for a limited number of products – your quote details will state whether this is a payment option).

If your payment was successful, you should have received an email with your insurance documentation attached. If you haven't received these, please email us via our 'contact us' page.

Your instalment agreement is handled by Premium Credit Ltd. Premium Credit Ltd is the No. 1 premium finance company in the UK and Ireland. They are a company specialising in business and individual insurance payment via regular instalments, instead of paying the whole premium upfront.

Premium Credit Ltd are registered under the Consumer Credit Act and your credit agreement is with them. You will be sent a full Credit Agreement before the first premium is collected.

Yes, our registration number is 412443.

Simply log into My Area

Log into My Area, select your Policy and you will be shown a list of downloadable PDF documents

If you need to make changes to your policy details or cover you can either call us on 0800 640 6600 or log in to My Area and request a call back.

We currently do not charge any fees. Your premium may increase, decrease or stay the same dependent on what the change is.

As an online insurer, we don’t send reams of paperwork, but we will email your insurance documents to you, and you can access them at anytime by logging into My Area. If you require a hard copy of your documents, they can be requested here.

Simply log into My Area and make the required changes under My Account details.

If you are paying by direct debit, Premium Credit Ltd will send you contact details of how to change your payment details when they send you your direct debit schedule.

If you opted to pay by direct debit, debit card or credit card, your policy will renew automatically.

If you opted to pay by cheque or bank transfer, you can renew your policy by going into My Area and clicking the Renew button displayed next to your policy. You will then be guided through the renewal process. Alternatively, call us on 0800 640 6600.

We will send you a renewal invite approximately 28 days before your policy expires, detailing your premium and asking you to check what you previously told us about your organistion is still valid

If you opted to pay by direct debit, debit card or credit card, your policy will renew automatically.

If you opted to pay by cheque or bank transfer, you can renew your policy by going into My Area and clicking the Renew button displayed next to your policy. You will then be guided through the renewal process. Alternatively, call us on 0800 640 6600.

Prior to the expiry of your policy we will email you inviting renewal based on the information you originally provided and taking into account any claims, or circumstances which may give rise to a claim, which may have been reported during the course of the period of insurance. If there have been any changes to your details or if you want to amend cover we will provide a link to enable you to amend your details and obtain a revised renewal quotation.

Call us on 0800 640 6600 or go to our 'make a claim' page. Please do not respond to the potential claimant until you have spoken to us.

Call us on 0800 640 6600 or go to our 'make a claim' page. Please do not respond to the potential claimant until you have spoken to us.

Yes, go to our 'make a claim' page

Each claim is unique and may involve a degree of investigation or assessment. For this reason we cannot definitely predict how long each claim will take

Depending on the circumstances of the claim we may need to take it into account when considering the renewal of your policy.

Unfortunately we are unable to state specifically if or how a claim will affect your renewal as almost every claim is different.

Call us on 0800 640 6600 or email us by going to our 'contact us' page with a contact number we can call you back on. Have your Policy Number to hand so we can retrieve details of your claim quickly

You can track the progress of your claim online. Log into My Area and select your Policy, then click View Registered Claims or you can call us on 0800 640 6600.

Call us on 0800 640 6600.

Up to 14 days after you receive your emailed policy documents: If the cover does not fully meet your needs you can cancel your policy by calling us on 0800 640 6600. Unless you have made a claim on your policy within this period, we will return all the premium you have paid to us.

More than 14 days after you receive your emailed policy documents: If you have not made a claim, you can cancel your policy by giving us 30 days notice in writing. If you paid by debit or credit card, we will return any premiums paid on the unexpired portion of your policy. If you are paying by instalments, no premiums on the unexpired portion of your policy will be returned and no further instalments will be taken from your bank account. If you are paying by instalments and have made a claim, you will need to pay the remaining premium due on the policy.

Call us on 0800 640 6600.

If you paid by debit or credit card your card will be credited within 30 days of the date of cancellation.

Similarly if you paid by cheque or bank transfer you will receive a cheque within 30 days of the date of cancellation.

If you paid by monthly direct debit, no refund is due and no further payments will be taken from your bank account.

No but you can call us on 0800 640 6600 if you need any information.

Markel Direct is a trading name of Markel International Insurance Company Limited who is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register reference number 202570).

Registered Office: 20 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 3AZ
The Financial Services Register can be accessed at https://register.fca.org.uk/s/

Main trading address: 2nd Floor, Verity House, 6 Canal Wharf, Leeds, LS11 5AS

Under the FCA regulations an ‘advised sale’ is one where you are given a personal recommendation as to the suitability of one product against another to meet your insurance needs.

A ‘non-advised sale’ is one where a recommendation is not made.  Information is provided leaving you to decide how you wish to proceed.

As we only place insurance policies with one insurer, Markel International Insurance Company Limited, we feel it would be inappropriate to offer ‘advice’.  We do not therefore make any recommendations and do not compare the products we have on offer against those that may be offered by other insurers. Markel Direct will act on your behalf when arranging and administering your insurance except where we act as agent of the insurer in collecting premiums and handling refunds due to clients.

We will, however, provide you with sufficient information to enable you to make a decision as to whether the policy we are offering meets your demands and needs. 
If you are seeking the services of an insurance broker who may be able to give advice then contact BIBA (www.biba.org.uk/)

We try hard to live up to our promises, but sometimes you may feel we are not up to scratch.

If this is the case, we want to do what we can to put things right - so in the first instance, please call us on 0800 640 6600 and we'll try and resolve the matter for you there and then.

For further details of how to make a complaint, please refer to our complaints page.

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme ("FSCS") is the United Kingdom's statutory fund of last resort for customers of financial services firms. It is an independent body, set up under the Financial Services & Markets Act 2000 .
Since your insurer (Markel International Insurance Company Limited) is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority you would have access to the FSCS which can pay compensation to consumers and eligible small businesses if a financial services firm is unable, or likely to be unable, to pay claims against it.
The level of compensation under the scheme is different dependent on the type of cover you hold

• Compulsory insurance, such as employers liability, is covered for 100% of the claim
• For other insurances, 100% of the first £2000 of the claim is covered and 90% of the remainder
• Further information can be obtained by visiting the Financial Services Compensation Scheme website on www.fscs.org.uk or by telephoning 0207 892 7300

Call us on 0800 640 6600.