Charity insurance

Charity insurance programme review: a free second opinion for trustees

A charity insurance programme review is an independent check of every policy a charity holds, against what the charity actually does, owns and has signed up to. It gives trustees evidence that they have considered the charity's insurance properly.

Part of: Charity insurance

In short

Trustees are expected to protect their charity's assets, and Charity Commission guidance (CC49) says trustees can be personally responsible if they unreasonably fail to insure. Apex reviews the whole programme for established charities and social enterprises: property, business interruption, liability, abuse, trustee indemnity, crime, cyber, motor and overseas cover. You get a one-page summary for your board saying what to keep, what is missing and what to change. No fee and no obligation, and nothing changes unless you decide it should.

Why trustees ask for a second opinion

Charity programmes tend to grow by addition: a new service, a new building, a shop, an overseas partner, a contract with a council. Each brings its own insurance requirement, and the policies are rarely looked at together. A second opinion checks the programme as a whole, against the charity as it is now. If your current arrangements are right, we say so, which is itself useful evidence for the board.

What we check

Area	What we check
Buildings and contents	Sums insured against reinstatement value (Charity Commission guidance in CC49 suggests a surveyor checks this perhaps every two years), unoccupied buildings, listed property.
Business interruption	Whether it protects fundraising, trading and contract income, and whether the indemnity period is long enough to recover.
Employers’ and public liability	Volunteers treated like employees for insurance, events, services delivered off site.
Abuse and safeguarding	Whether abuse cover is included, on what basis, with what limit and aggregation, and how historic claims are handled.
Trustee indemnity and D&O	Limit, who is covered (including trading subsidiary directors), exclusions and run-off.
Crime and cyber	Fraud by staff, volunteers or outsiders, payment diversion, donor and beneficiary data, and the conditions each policy sets.
Motor, overseas and specialist covers	Minibuses and permits, staff and volunteers abroad, professional indemnity for advice or services.

What we actually read

A review is only useful if someone reads the detail. For each review we work through:

every schedule and policy wording, including the endorsements added over the years;
your last proposal or renewal submission, because how a risk is presented to insurers shapes the terms it gets;
your claims and notified circumstances;
the insurance clauses in your funding agreements, service contracts and leases;
the basis and period of any business interruption cover, and when buildings and contents values were last checked.

What you get back: a one-page summary for your trustees

Every review ends with a one-page summary written for the people who have to sign off the decision: your board, partners, governors or trustees. It is designed to be put in a board pack as it is.

Your programme at a glance: each cover, its limit and excess, and when it renews.
What is working: the parts of the programme we would leave alone, and why.
Gaps and mismatches: for example a limit below what your contracts require, an exclusion that bites on your actual work, a business interruption period that looks short, or a rebuild value that has not been checked.
Recommended actions, in priority order, with what each one would need from you.
A plain statement if nothing needs changing. If your current arrangements are right, the summary says so.

See an illustrative example of the one-page summary. The summary reflects the documents you send us; it is not a quote, and any change to cover depends on what insurers will offer.

What happens after you send it

A broker reads it, usually the same working day. Not an automated system: a member of the broking team reads every enquiry and decides who is best placed to handle it.
We come back with the questions insurers will ask. Usually the split of your activities, fee income or turnover, the limits your contracts require, claims history, your current cover and when you need cover to start. If your brief already answers these, this step is short.
We approach the insurers that fit your risk. Apex is independent and works across the market, including Lloyd’s through wholesale brokers, rather than a single panel.
You get the options side by side. We explain the differences in cover, not just the price, so you can see what you are choosing between.
Nothing is placed until you tell us. There is no fee for a quote or a review, and no obligation.

“Many thanks to you all for all your help throughout the whole process — all very, very much appreciated.”

Renewal handover · Mid-market placement

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Talk to a charity insurance broker

Rather we called you?

Leave a name and number and a broker who works with charities will call you back, usually the same working day.

Or email your schedules and renewal date to info@apexinsurancebrokers.co.uk, or call 0117 325 0027.

Who it is for

Charities and social enterprises with paid staff, more than one service or site, or a programme with several policies. Smaller charities are welcome to ask for a quote in the usual way. Useful background: insurance for larger charities, trustee indemnity insurance and the charity insurance guide.

Frequently asked

Is the review really free?

Yes. There is no fee and no obligation. Apex is remunerated in the normal way only if the charity later chooses to place cover through us, and we are transparent about that remuneration before you decide.

Will you contact our current broker or insurers?

No. The review is between us and the charity, based on the documents you send. Nothing changes with your current arrangements unless the trustees decide it should.

What should we send?

Current schedules and policy wordings, your renewal dates, the last renewal submission if you have it, a note of any claims, and the insurance clauses from your main funding agreements, service contracts and leases.

When is the best time?

Ideally two to three months before your main renewal date, so there is time to act on anything the review finds. A mid-term review is still useful if something has changed, such as a new service, building or contract.

Send us your charity's renewal pack

Email your schedules, wordings and renewal dates. We will confirm receipt and arrange a call. Or call 0117 325 0027.

Email your renewal pack Call 0117 325 0027

Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information, not advice on your individual circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.