Professional indemnity explained

Your first open-market PI renewal after the Wren: a 2027 timetable

Reviewed by the Apex broking team · Last reviewed 2026-11-04

A first open-market PI renewal is the first time a former Wren practice renews with a commercial insurer after moving across from the mutual. It matters because the terms agreed in 2027 shape cover for past projects as well as new work.

Part of: Architects' PI insurance

In short

The Wren stopped offering renewal terms from 1 July 2026 and is in solvent run-off, so most former members started a commercial PI policy around that date and renew in mid 2027. Treat this as a full competitive renewal. Start six to eight months ahead, build a detailed submission covering projects, fire safety history, QA, claims and circumstances, approach primary and then excess markets in spring, and compare wordings rather than headline price. Check the retroactive date, fire safety aggregates and contract obligations before binding.

The short answer: start the 2027 renewal now

The Wren decided "not to offer renewal terms from 1 July 2026" and is now in solvent run-off, according to its press statement and status page. Most practices that were members at that date therefore began a commercial policy around 1 July 2026. Their 2027 renewal will usually be the first one where an insurer prices a practice it has already covered for a year, with its own claims and notification history on file.

That makes the 2027 renewal less of a rescue placement and more of a normal, competitive renewal. Insurers will still look closely at fire safety and legacy exposure, so a practice that plans the renewal over six to eight months is usually in a far stronger position than one that starts in May. If your practice left the Wren earlier, for example after the March 2025 supplementary call, move the timetable below to fit your own renewal date.

For the wider context, see our guide for former Wren members and the architects' PI insurance guide.

A month-by-month timetable to a 1 July 2027 renewal

The timetable below is illustrative. Your broker will adjust it to your renewal date, the size of your programme and how many excess layers you buy.

When	What to do
November to December 2026	Review the first-year policy against what you expected: limits, aggregate fire safety cover, exclusions, retroactive date, excess. List anything you accepted under time pressure in 2026.
January 2027	Start collecting data: fee income split, project list, fire safety and cladding history, QA procedures, contract and warranty register.
February 2027	Agree market strategy with your broker: which primary and excess markets to approach and what to ask for.
March 2027	Finalise the submission and have partners or directors check it for accuracy and completeness.
April 2027	Submit to the primary market, then excess markets. Meet underwriters where useful.
May 2027	Compare quotes and wordings side by side, negotiate terms and build the tower.
June 2027	Confirm terms, bind, issue evidence of cover to clients and check it against appointment obligations.

The architects' annual PI renewal guide covers the general renewal cycle, and our page on preparing for a renewal meeting explains how to run underwriter meetings.

Building the submission

Under section 3 of the Insurance Act 2015, a business insured must make a fair presentation of the risk before the contract is entered into, which includes any change at renewal. In practice a strong architects' submission usually covers:

Fee income and work mix by sector and building type, with a note on residential, higher-risk buildings and overseas work.
Project list of current and recent major schemes, your role on each (lead designer, principal designer, novated architect, client-side adviser) and approximate construction value.
Fire safety and cladding history: past involvement with external wall systems, any remediation enquiries and how you manage those risks now. See fire safety and cladding cover after the Wren.
Quality assurance: design review, sign-off, specification control, change management and the qualifications of people doing fire strategy work.
Claims and circumstances across both the Wren years and the new policy, including what has been notified and to whom. Our pages on circumstance notification and claims on past projects explain why this matters.
Contract terms: how many appointments and collateral warranties require a set level of PI for a set period.

Remember that the extended limitation periods in section 135 of the Building Safety Act 2022 (15 years for new Defective Premises Act claims and 30 years for claims that accrued before 28 June 2022) mean underwriters will ask about older residential projects too.

Approaching primary and excess markets

Many large practices buy cover as a tower: a primary policy and one or more excess layers above it. For a first full renewal, it often helps to approach the primary market first, because excess insurers usually follow the primary wording and want to see its terms before quoting.

Ask whether excess layers follow the primary form exactly, or add their own exclusions or conditions.
Check how fire safety and cladding aggregates sit through the tower, since a layer can have a different aggregate from the primary.
Consider how many insurers you want on the programme and whether spreading layers reduces reliance on any one market.

Our pages on PI excess layer programmes and architects' excess of loss PI explain how towers are built, and aggregate vs each and every claim limits covers the limit basis.

Compare wordings, not just price

Two quotes at the same limit can give very different protection. When comparing, look at:

Retroactive date: whether cover reaches back to work done in the Wren years. See retroactive dates explained.
Fire safety and cladding terms: full exclusion, aggregate sublimit, or cover limited to direct loss. ARB guidance accepts that cover for these claims may be held on an aggregate basis. See cladding and fire safety exclusions.
Aggregation and notification wording: how related claims are grouped and how strict the notice conditions are.
Costs inclusive or in addition, and the excess structure.
Whether terms meet your contracts. Trowers & Hamlins notes that appointments often require PI on "no less onerous terms" for 12 years or more. Our page on contract PI obligations after the Wren covers this.

Illustrative examples and common mistakes

Illustrative example: the late start

A practice with a 1 July renewal starts gathering information in mid May. Its project list is incomplete and the fire safety questionnaire is answered in general terms. Underwriters quote late with wide exclusions, leaving little time to negotiate the excess layers.

Illustrative example: the early start

A similar practice reviews its first-year policy in December, builds a fire safety register in January and meets underwriters in April. It has time to test the market, compare wordings and raise warranty conflicts with clients before binding.

Common mistakes

Assuming the 2026 terms will simply roll over.
Leaving circumstances unnotified because they relate to Wren years.
Comparing headline limits without reading the fire safety and aggregation wording.
Forgetting to check new terms against existing collateral warranties. See collateral warranties and your PI programme.

Apex arranges architects' PI, including primary and excess programmes; a broker reads every enquiry.

Sources

Frequently asked

When should a former Wren practice start its 2027 PI renewal?

Ideally six to eight months before the renewal date, so around November or December 2026 for a 1 July 2027 renewal. That gives time to review the first-year policy, collect project and fire safety data, approach primary and excess markets in spring, and negotiate wordings before binding. Larger towers with several insurers usually need the longest lead time.

Will my 2027 PI premium go down now I have a year of commercial cover?

Nobody can promise that. Pricing depends on your fee income, work mix, claims and circumstances, fire safety exposure and the wider market at the time. A year of clean history with your current insurer can help, but a new notification or a change in work mix may push the other way. Your broker can explain the factors underwriters are likely to weigh.

Do I still need to tell my insurer about Wren-era projects?

Usually yes. The duty of fair presentation under the Insurance Act 2015 covers material circumstances you know or ought to know, which can include work done while you were a Wren member. Claims first made now usually fall to your current claims-made policy, subject to its retroactive date and exclusions, so insurers will ask about older projects.

Should I approach excess insurers at the same time as the primary?

Often the primary is approached first, because excess insurers usually follow its wording and want to see those terms. In practice your broker may run both in parallel for a large tower, sharing the primary draft with excess markets as soon as it is available. The aim is to avoid gaps or conflicting conditions between layers.

What should I check before signing new terms?

Check the retroactive date, fire safety and cladding cover, aggregation and notification wording, whether costs are inside or outside the limit, and whether the cover meets the PI clauses in your appointments and collateral warranties. If any contract needs a level or basis of cover you cannot get, raise it with the client early rather than after binding.

Former Wren member? Have your new PI programme reviewed

Send us your current schedule and wording, your last Wren policy documents and your project list. We will check continuity for claims on past projects, fire safety terms and your contract obligations ahead of your first open-market renewal. No fee and no obligation. Or call 0117 325 0027.

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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.