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Professional indemnity explained
Architects' PI after the Wren is the commercial professional indemnity cover that former members of The Wren, the architects' mutual now in solvent run-off, buy from the open market. It matters because wordings, exclusions and limits can differ from what the mutual provided, and contracts still expect the same protection.
Part of: Architects' PI insurance
In short
The Wren Insurance Association Limited said on 24 March 2026 that it would not offer renewal terms from 1 July 2026 and would make a solvent exit, meeting its liabilities including claims as they fall due. It is now in solvent run-off. Claims made against a practice during a Wren policy year stay with the Wren's claims manager. New claims and new projects generally fall to the commercial policy the practice now holds, subject to its retroactive date, known circumstances terms and fire safety wording. Former members should check those terms, their contract obligations and their notifications before the first open-market renewal.
The Wren Insurance Association Limited is a mutual that provided professional indemnity cover to architectural practices. In its press statement of 24 March 2026 the board said it had taken "the difficult decision not to offer renewal terms from 1 July 2026" and that the Wren would conduct a solvent exit, ceasing to underwrite new business "while remaining solvent and meeting its liabilities including all claims when they fall due." The statement explained that the business lacked the size and scale to offer competitive cover.
The Wren's status page now says it is in solvent run-off and no longer writing new business. It is managed by Tindall Riley & Co Limited, trading as Wren Managers, which has managed the Wren since it was formed. The RIBA said it stands ready to support any practices affected. None of this means past cover has gone away: it means former members now buy cover for new claims elsewhere.
The Wren underwrote on a "claims made" basis, according to its 2021 Report and Accounts. That shapes who deals with what. See claims-made vs occurrence PI for the general principle.
| Item | Where it usually sits | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Claims made against the practice during a Wren policy year | The Wren's claims manager, quoting the Wren claim reference | That you hold the reference for every notified claim or circumstance |
| Claims first made after the last Wren year | Generally the commercial policy in force when the claim is made | Retroactive date, known circumstances exclusion, fire safety terms |
| New appointments and projects | The commercial policy | Limit basis, aggregation, excess, defence costs |
| Calls on past policy years | Depends on the Wren's rules and documents | Your own membership papers and any correspondence from the Wren |
The second row is the usual claims-made principle, not a statement of the Wren's own rules. We cover it in more depth in claims on past projects after leaving the Wren, and calls in leaving a mutual insurer.
Commentators expected change. Trowers & Hamlins said firms moving insurer may face narrower protections, particularly around fire safety, and additional exclusions or limitations for higher risk work. Architects Datafile said commercial insurers are more likely to apply exclusions, aggregation clauses and restrictive notification triggers, and that cladding cover is available but scrutiny is intense. Points that commonly differ include:
The ARB guidance on PII (published June 2025) sets a minimum of £250,000 each and every claim, but accepts aggregate cover for fire safety and cladding claims where there is no alternative.
Illustrative example 1: a mid-sized practice working mainly on schools and offices, with no cladding history, moves to a commercial insurer. The premium and limit look similar, but the new wording has an aggregate fire safety sub-limit. The practice checks which live appointments specify each and every claim cover and asks whether those clients will accept the sub-limit.
Illustrative example 2: a practice with residential towers in its past portfolio receives a letter from a building owner after its last Wren year ended. The practice had not notified anything about that building. The letter will usually fall to the new policy, so whether it responds turns on the retroactive date and any known circumstances or cladding exclusion. If the partners knew of the issue when they completed the new proposal form, how they described it matters as much as the wording.
Illustrative example 3: a practice with a large interiors and masterplanning workload finds that the commercial market offers a higher primary limit than it needs, but asks for detailed information on legacy residential schemes from fifteen years ago. The practice gathers project records before the proposal goes out, rather than answering underwriters' questions one at a time close to the renewal date.
A mutual's members share in its results, and the Wren's accounts describe members as remaining liable for their rateable proportions of any excess of claims and expenses over income on open policy years. A commercial insurer prices each practice on its own presentation. Under the fair presentation duty in the Insurance Act 2015, the practice must disclose material circumstances it knows or ought to know about, which for many former members means legacy fire safety and external wall work.
Commercial programmes also tend to be built in layers. A practice that held one large limit with the Wren may now hold a primary policy plus one or more excess of loss layers, each with its own wording. Gaps between layers, for example where a primary policy covers fire safety on an aggregate basis but an excess layer excludes it, are easy to miss. A broker writing for NLA, stressed close attention to policy structure and continuity of cover to avoid unintended gaps.
Who to tell. Clients, funders and collateral warranty beneficiaries may need to know if the cover you can now buy falls short of what you promised. ARB's guidance says that if cover for existing appointments is no longer available, architects should notify their clients without delay. Our architects PI insurance guide has wider background, and when your insurer or mutual stops covering your profession covers the general steps.
Apex arranges architects' professional indemnity in the commercial market; a broker reads every enquiry.
The Wren said it would make a solvent exit while meeting its liabilities including all claims when they fall due. Its status page tells former members to contact the claims manager for claims made against their firm during a Wren policy year, quoting the Wren claim reference for the notified claim or circumstance.
The Wren's board said on 24 March 2026 that it would not offer renewal terms from 1 July 2026. Its status page refers to practices entered with the Wren as at 30 June 2026 and says the Wren is now in solvent run-off and no longer writing new business.
On the usual claims-made principle, a claim first made after your last Wren year falls to the policy in force when it is made, subject to its retroactive date, known circumstances exclusion and fire safety terms. That is a general principle; check the Wren's documents and your notifications for your own position.
Yes. ARB's PII guidance, published in June 2025, says it is acceptable to hold cover on an aggregate basis for claims including fire safety and cladding, that such cover may be limited to direct losses, and that these restrictions should only be accepted where there is no alternative.
Not always. Many appointments care about the level, basis and duration of cover rather than the insurer. If the cover you now hold falls short of what an appointment or warranty requires, the contract may require notice, and ARB's guidance says to notify clients without delay where cover for existing appointments is no longer available.
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.
Book a PI programme review Get a quoteApex 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.
