Architects Professional Indemnity

Join 1,200+ architects protected with PII through us

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Expert protection for your professional liabilities

Professional indemnity insurance, or PII, is a crucial safeguard in the complex world of architectural design and construction. 

It offers the reassurance that if a client accuses you of mistakes in your services, you have protection from the financial fallout, with legal defence costs and compensation covered.

We’ve been helping architects secure insurance and manage their risks for three decades. We’re one of the leading brokers in architects’ PII, and the preferred PII broker for the Association of Consultant Architects (ACA).

1,200+

architect clients

£20m+

architects PII gross written premium

30+ years

of placing PII for the architecture profession

Do architects need professional indemnity insurance?

All practising architects need PII, as a regulatory requirement. The Architects Registration Board (ARB), which governs the architect profession, expects its members to have adequate and appropriate PII.

This is to protect you, your firm, and your clients if mistakes happen in your professional services and action is taken against you. 

What does professional indemnity insurance cover?

Architects’ PII protects you if clients make a claim against you for negligent services. This could be for anything from errors in design plans or drawings to not spotting issues that ultimately lose the client money. 

PII covers legal costs, including your defence and court costs, and damages and settlements that result from the claim. Cover can include:

  • Negligence or breach of duty of care
  • Misrepresentation 
  • Defamation
  • Unintentional confidentiality breaches
  • Intellectual property infringements

Also be aware of what isn’t covered (exclusions), cover that may be restricted, and policy limits and sub-limits. This may be relevant to, for example, projects involving cladding, asbestos, or buildings over a certain height. 

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Why choose us?

  • Policies worded by expert brokers, which can mean more favourable terms for you than 'off-the-shelf’ insurer wording.
  • One of the largest construction and property teams in the UK, our broking and risk management services span commercial, residential, and landscape architectural professions.
  • Solid track record of handling architects’ claims, with the in-house legal and technical knowledge to help you through the lifecycle of the claim (including multi-jurisdictional claims).
Two architects discuss a blueprint
Their expertise and counsel have been invaluable in an extremely difficult PII marketplace, as regulatory reform and fire safety continue to have an impact on the architectural profession and insurance providers alike. We would not hesitate to recommend Howden to other design professionals.
Top 100 architectural firm

How we can help you

We'll get to know you and how you manage risk, presenting your profile and loss history in the best possible light to insurers. We'll also be:

  • By your side at renewal, establishing your strategic priorities and setting goals before we negotiate the terms and premium with insurers.
  • On hand with expert risk management services through seminars and workshops designed around the architectural sector. This can help reduce cover issues and make claims less likely.
  • Ready to support and guide you with your contracts, including appointment documents, collateral warranties, and framework agreements.

When you buy cover through us, you’ll also get access to free business support. This includes legal, counselling and tax advice helplines.

A team talking

Request a quote

Premiums from £250 + IPT

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What to do if you are experiencing financial difficulties

We recognise that the current economic conditions are putting pressure on many households and businesses. At Howden, we are committed to finding ways to assist our customers who may require additional support during these times.

If you’re currently facing financial difficulty, please speak to us about your insurance policies by:-

-contacting your Howden Service Team; 
-calling Howden on 020 7623 3806;
-using the Enquiry form.

Our Website Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice includes information on the scope of our service and how we will handle your data.

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Claims you can count on

A streamlined and efficient claims process is everything when you’re defending yourself against accusations.

We have one of the largest in-house claims teams in the PII market. That’s over 40 experienced lawyers and senior claims specialists on hand to advise and support you on notifications and claims.

We'll be by your side throughout, keeping you updated, and working towards a quick settlement wherever possible.

Make a claim

Got a question?

Our broking team will be happy to help – just choose the route below based on business size

SMEs
Do you have an existing policy with Howden?

Call us on (0)203 813 7224 or drop us a quick message and we'll get back to you asap

Our London office: One Creechurch Place, London, EC3A 5AF

Our Website Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice includes information on the scope of our service and how we will handle your data.

 

What to do if you are experiencing financial difficulties

We recognise that the current economic conditions are putting pressure on many households and businesses. At Howden, we are committed to finding ways to assist our customers who may require additional support during these times.

If you’re currently facing financial difficulty, please speak to us about your insurance policies by:-

-contacting your Howden Service Team; 
-calling Howden on 020 7623 3806;
-using the Enquiry form.

Large practices
  • Your details
  • Your contact details
  • Complete
Do you have an existing policy with Howden?

Please provide us with a few details so we can get the right person to contact you 

What's your name?
What insurance are you interested in? Please select all that apply. 
Business name
Business address
Annual gross fee income
Total number of staff
Estimated annual wage roll
If you would like a quote for Office and Contents insurance, please let us know the estimated value of the contents 
What's this?
We are able to provide competitive quotes for Business Contents insurance. Please provide an estimate value of your office contents
Date established
What's this?
This is the date your business was incorporated or the date you started trading
Renewal date
Have you had any claims in the last 5 years?

What to do if you are experiencing financial difficulties

We recognise that the current economic conditions are putting pressure on many households and businesses. At Howden, we are committed to finding ways to assist our customers who may require additional support during these times.

If you’re currently facing financial difficulty, please speak to us about your insurance policies by:-

-contacting your Howden Service Team; 
-calling Howden on 020 7623 3806;
-using the Enquiry form.

Our Website Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice includes information on the scope of our service and how we will handle your data.

Architects professional indemnity FAQs

An architecture firm's PII policy will usually provide cover for its staff when carrying out the firm's work.

If you're a consultant or architect working through an agency, check with the firm you are acting for to make sure their PII policy covers you. Without cover you would be held liable for costs if a client accuses you of mistakes in your work – which could be extremely costly. 

Bear in mind that if you carry out private work outside of your employer’s firm, their policy is unlikely to cover you for this activity. So you’d need to take out your own policy to cover this work. 
 

Professional indemnity insurance runs on a claims-made basis. This means your cover is for when a claim is made, rather than the time the incident happened. To cover you for claims after a practice closes or you retire, you or your firm will need run-off cover.

If you’re practising in England or Wales, run-off cover needs to last at least six years, or five years in Scotland, in line with ARB rules. However, the length of time you need run-off insurance will also depend on the contracts you've entered into in the past.

Without cover in place, you could face financially ruinous costs if a disgruntled former client makes a claim against you. Also consider that if you are still taking on the odd project, you're still practising (even if it’s free of charge) and need PI beyond just run-off cover.  
 

Professional indemnity insurance policies usually last for a term of 12 months. You will then need to arrange cover for another year.

It’s best to prepare for this ahead of time and understand your practice’s risk profile. Your broker can explain how they will approach your renewal and any extra information they need to get you the best policy for you.

For example, this might be new systems you’ve put in place, or updated procedures or training, which helps demonstrate improvements to your risk profile. 
 

The ARB expects architects to have a minimum level of £250,000 indemnity for each claim, with some limitations allowed for cover for cladding and fire safety claims.

Even so, your cover amount needs to be enough to meet any potential claims against you. It should be in line with the level of risk your practice faces, with careful consideration needed to the nature and scale of your work, and compensation worst-case scenarios. 

We can help you assess your profile and advise on the level of cover you need.

Let's connect

Photo of Tom Barney

Tom Barney

Divisional Director

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