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Mid-market insurance
Office insurance for a mid-sized professional firm is a package covering contents, IT, lost fee income, employers' and public liability, money and crime across one or more leased offices. As firms grow, sums insured, leases and income often move faster than the policy.
Part of: Commercial insurance
In short
Mid-sized law, accountancy, consultancy and technology firms usually insure their offices through a combined package: contents and computer equipment, business interruption on fee income, employers' and public liability, money and crime. Cyber and professional indemnity normally sit in separate policies. The common gaps are out of date reinstatement values, BI that excludes payroll, lease obligations the tenant has not insured, and payment fraud falling between crime and cyber. Each office should be scheduled properly, and the whole programme reviewed together.
For a law, accountancy, consultancy or technology firm of this size, office insurance is usually a single combined policy, or a set of linked sections, covering the firm's contents and IT, loss of fee income, liability to staff and visitors, money and some crime. It is separate from professional indemnity and, in most cases, from cyber and management liability. Our general office insurance page covers the basics; this page looks at the issues that tend to matter once a firm has several floors, several offices or a full repairing lease.
The common thread is that mid-sized firms outgrow the assumptions built into small office packages. Sums insured are set once and rarely revisited, fee income has grown, offices have been added, and the lease has shifted obligations onto the tenant. A periodic insurance programme review is usually the point at which those gaps surface.
| Section | What it usually does | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Contents and computer equipment | Covers furniture, fit out, IT hardware and records against damage | Reinstatement values, laptops off site, tenant's improvements |
| Business interruption | Covers lost fee income and extra costs after damage | Fee income basis, payroll, indemnity period |
| Employers' liability | Covers injury or disease claims by staff | Limit, staff abroad, labour-only contractors |
| Public liability | Covers injury or damage claims by visitors and third parties | Limit required by leases and client contracts |
| Money and crime | Covers cash and, in a crime section, employee theft | Whether funds transfer fraud is included or excluded |
| Cyber (often separate) | Covers breach response, data restoration and cyber BI | How it dovetails with the property BI section |
Contents values need particular care in firms that have refitted offices. Fit out paid for by the tenant is often the tenant's to insure, and reinstatement cost can be well above book value. Our page on office and business contents insurance sets out what is normally included, and the reinstatement cost guide explains how average reduces claims where sums are too low.
Professional firms usually insure BI on a gross revenue or fee income basis, because their main cost is payroll and it continues after a loss. The distinction is explained in our guide to gross profit vs gross revenue business interruption. For law firms specifically, WIP, lock-up and court deadlines add further issues, covered in business interruption for law firms.
The indemnity period should reflect how long it would take to restore fee income, not just to reopen. A firm with one main office and specialist teams that could be poached during a long closure may need 24 months or more. Denial of access, utilities and telecoms extensions are worth reading closely, as limits and radius vary.
Employers' liability is compulsory for most employers in Great Britain. HSE's employers guide to the Act says cover must be at least £5 million, the certificate may be displayed electronically, and fines of up to £2,500 for every day without suitable insurance can apply. The minimum is set by the Employers Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Regulations 1998. HSE notes that in practice most insurers offer cover of at least £10 million. Our page on employers liability for professional firms covers secondees, homeworkers and contractors.
Public liability limits are often driven by the lease or by client contracts, which may require a specified figure. Crime cover protects against employee dishonesty and, depending on the wording, some third party fraud. The overlap with cyber on payment diversion is one of the most common disputes, so check where funds transfer fraud sits; our commercial crime insurance page explains the usual structures.
Most professional firms lease. The lease decides who insures the building, who pays the landlord's premium, whether the tenant must insure plate glass or its own fit out, and what happens to rent if the building is damaged. Points to check:
On cyber, the property BI section is usually triggered by physical damage, so a ransomware outage with no damage typically falls outside it. A stand alone policy fills that gap; see cyber insurance for professional services firms. Breaches involving personal data may need reporting to the Information Commission (formerly the ICO), whose breach guidance sets a 72 hour deadline from awareness where a risk to individuals is likely.
Illustrative only; not based on any real firm or claim.
A consultancy has doubled its headcount over three years, moved into a refitted floor and opened a second office. The contents sum insured still reflects the old premises. After an escape of water, average reduces the settlement because the declared value was too low. Regular revaluation of fit out and IT would have avoided this.
One of three offices is damaged by fire. The firm moves staff to the other two, but its BI was set on a gross profit basis that treated staff costs as variable. The claim is calculated on a much smaller insured figure than expected. A fee income basis with payroll included would have reflected the real loss more closely.
Several developers work from another country. The UK policy's employers' liability territorial limits do not extend to them for long periods. See insurance for UK firms with overseas offices for how this is usually handled.
Apex arranges office insurance for professional firms as part of wider commercial insurance programmes; a broker reads every enquiry.
No. An office package covers the firm's property, income, money and its liability to staff and visitors. Professional indemnity covers claims from clients alleging negligent advice or services, and is bought separately, often on regulator-set terms for solicitors and accountants. The two should be reviewed together so limits and territorial cover are consistent.
The legal minimum in Great Britain is £5 million, according to HSE guidance. Many professional firms buy £10 million, and some client contracts or leases require more. The right limit depends on headcount, the type of work, staff travel and any contractual requirements, subject to the policy terms.
Usually the landlord insures the building and recharges the premium, but the lease decides this. Tenants commonly still need to insure their own fit out, contents, glass in some cases, and their liability. A full repairing lease can shift more risk to the tenant, so read the insurance and repair clauses before renewal.
Sometimes a limited cyber extension is included, but mid-sized firms usually need a stand alone cyber policy. Property BI is typically triggered by physical damage, so a ransomware outage with no damage often falls outside it. A separate cyber policy usually covers breach response, data restoration and cyber business interruption.
Each office is usually listed on the schedule with its own sums insured for contents, IT and any tenant's improvements, with business interruption reflecting the income each site supports. Some policies use blanket limits across sites, which works well when declared values are accurate and reviewed regularly.
Send us your current schedules or renewal pack and we will review the whole programme and tell you plainly what to keep and what to change. No fee and no obligation. Or call 0117 325 0027.
Book a 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.
