Professional indemnity insurance

Specialist professional indemnity insurance tailored to you from £8 a month

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  • No hidden fees or cancellation charges

If you provide advice, design or a professional service to your customers, professional indemnity insurance (also known as professional liability insurance) is typically regarded as essential cover.

Everyone strives to provide their clients with the best service possible, but if things go wrong, it pays to be properly insured. As a specialist professional indemnity insurer with over 25 years experience, insuring your business with us gives you the peace of mind that your business is covered by an industry expert.

Our professional indemnity insurance covers your legal costs and expenses in defending a claim, and any compensation or costs that may subsequently be awarded, following:

  • Professional negligence - such as making a mistake in a piece of work for a client or giving them poor advice

  • Unintentional breach of confidentiality - such as sharing sensitive client information without permission

  • Unintentional breach of copyright - such as using an image on your website without permission

  • Defamation and libel - such as making false comments about a competitor or client that damage their reputation

  • Loss of documents or data

  • Loss of money or goods (for which you are responsible)

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Cover starting at £8 a month

Frequently asked questions

  • Do I need professional indemnity insurance?

    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.

  • What kind of claims does professional indemnity insurance cover against?

    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.

  • I need professional indemnity insurance to secure a contract - do you provide proof of cover?

    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.

  • I only need cover for a few months - do you offer short-term policies?

    No. All our policies last for 12 months, and there is a reason for this.

    Professional indemnity insurance is underwritten throughout the industry on what's known as a 'claims made' basis. This means that the policy must be live at the time the alleged negligence took place and also when we are notified of the claim by you.

    In effect, it means that if you cancel your professional indemnity insurance and a claim is brought against you by a client from a previous contract, you won't be covered.

    If, however, you maintain continuous cover between contracts, you will have the peace of mind that if a claim is brought against you relating to work previously carried out, you'll be covered.

  • What level of professional indemnity cover should I choose?

    If you're arranging professional indemnity insurance to meet the requirements of a client contract or regulated industry body, it's worth checking with them if they expect a minimum level of cover in order for you to start work.

    If your client/industry body does not have minimum requirements, give some thought to a worst-case scenario and the likely costs involved in putting your mistake right. We offer professional indemnity insurance for over 200 professions and have levels of cover ranging from £50,000 to £5m, so you are guaranteed 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.

Cover starting at £8 a month

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Cover starting at £8 a month

More specialist cover

  • Public liability insurance

    Public 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 client premises as part of your consulting activities, 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 you employ staff, even on a part time basis, you almost certainly need this cover. Cover for £10m.

  • 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 £25,000 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

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