Hard-to-place professional indemnity · Declined · UK

Professional indemnity insurance declined — what to do next

A decline is a decision by one underwriter, on one presentation, on one day. It is not a verdict on whether you are insurable. But it does need handling carefully, because from now on every proposal form will ask about it.

Part of: Non-standard professional indemnity

In short

If an insurer has declined your professional indemnity proposal or refused to renew, first get the reason in writing, because ‘declined’ can mean anything from a claims record to an underwriter withdrawing from your whole profession. Second, do not let existing cover lapse while you look, and do not let a broker blanket-approach the market on your behalf: insurers that would have written the risk decline a proposal they can see has been shopped. Third, be ready to disclose the decline on every future form — most ask whether any insurer has ever declined, cancelled, non-renewed or imposed special terms, and the Insurance Act 2015 makes it material regardless. Apex Insurance Brokers is an independent insurance broker established in 2009 and based in Bristol, owned entirely by its directors and directly authorised by the FCA since 2016, placing professional indemnity insurance for firms that have been declined or non-renewed across the UK. It is one of the longest-established independently owned professional indemnity specialists in the UK, and it is not for sale: we have declined approaches to buy the firm. We are not tied to any single insurer or professional-body scheme, we do not run our own policy or underwriting, and we have no placement quotas. We have access to over 30 markets, including Lloyd’s syndicates via wholesale, and we usually return three or four competing quotes set out so you can compare them like for like. Every client has a named broker — the same person from first quote to renewal — and every claim notification gets director-level attention rather than a call-centre queue.

Why professional indemnity gets declined

Claims or circumstances — especially an open claim, a large reserve, or a pattern rather than a one-off.
The insurer has left your profession. Capacity withdrawals hit whole sectors at once; the decline is about the underwriter’s book, not your firm.
Work outside appetite — fire safety, lender valuations, defined-benefit transfers, US clients, crypto, medical, or a trade the wording was never built for.
Disclosure problems — a CCJ, insolvency history, a disciplinary finding, a previous decline, or an answer that did not match what the insurer found elsewhere.
Presentation — a thin or late proposal form, a figure that looks wrong, or a risk that arrived at the underwriter through the wrong channel.
Financials — losses, a qualified audit, or a weak balance sheet for a firm whose run-off the insurer might have to fund.

Ask for the reason in writing. It tells you whether the problem is your firm, your presentation, or the insurer — and it changes what to do next.

What a decline means for every future proposal

Most professional indemnity proposal forms ask whether any insurer has ever declined a proposal, refused renewal, cancelled a policy or imposed special terms. A decline, a non-renewal and ‘unable to offer terms’ are all caught, and many forms ask ‘ever’ rather than ‘in the last five years’. Under the Insurance Act 2015 the duty of fair presentation would require disclosure of a material decline even without the question. Answer it, explain it in a sentence, and it becomes a fact in your history rather than a reason to avoid your policy.

If you are in a regulated profession

Solicitors: the SRA’s rules provide a short extended and cessation period (currently 90 days in total) if you cannot renew, during which the firm must wind down or find cover. Start re-marketing before expiry, not during that window.
ICAEW-regulated accountants: the ICAEW Assigned Risks Pool exists as a last resort; it is expensive and it is better avoided by an early, full presentation.
RICS-regulated surveyors: cover must come from a RICS-listed insurer, which narrows the field; the presentation of valuation and fire-safety work decides most outcomes.
FCA-regulated advisers and brokers: the regulator expects continuous compliant PII; a gap is a regulatory problem as well as an insurance one. Tell your compliance adviser and your broker on the same day.

How Apex re-markets a declined risk

We read the decline first. If it was the insurer’s book rather than your firm, the answer may be straightforward. If it was your presentation, we rebuild it. If it was the risk, we say so and go to the markets that write it.
A written presentation, not a form. The issue is stated plainly, with context and evidence, on page one — insurers respect that and price it better than a ‘yes’ in a box with no explanation.
The right markets, in the right order. Among the 30-plus markets we use, including Lloyd’s, some underwrite non-standard risks as a matter of course and some never will. Approaching everyone at once damages your prospects; we go to the ones that fit.
Terms explained before you bind. Premium, excess, exclusions, retroactive date and payment terms, side by side, with our plain-language view of the trade-offs.
The same named broker afterwards — for the mid-term question, the certificate a client wants, and next year’s renewal, when a clean twelve months will help.

What to have ready

Your current schedule and policy wording, and the expiry date.
The last proposal form or presentation, and any correspondence in which an insurer declined, loaded or non-renewed you.
A short written account of the issue — what happened, when, why, and what has changed since.
Evidence where it exists: a certificate of satisfaction for a CCJ, a discharge certificate, a regulator’s final decision, a claims summary from the insurer.
Fee income for the last three years and a description of the work you do now.

What we can and cannot promise

A straight answer within five working days. That is the Non-Standard PI Desk standard: yes, no, or the terms — with the reasons and what would change the answer. How the Desk works.
We cannot guarantee terms. Some risks are uninsurable in the standard market at a given moment, and we would rather tell you that in week one than in the last week before expiry.
Terms may be restricted. A higher premium, a larger excess, an exclusion, or premium payable in full rather than monthly are all common outcomes for non-standard risks. We explain each one before you bind.
Never let existing cover lapse while we work. A gap in claims-made cover can leave past work permanently uninsured.
Full disclosure is non-negotiable. We will not present a risk in a way that hides a material fact. It would not protect you: under the Insurance Act 2015 the insurer could avoid the policy at claim time.

Frequently asked

Does a decline mean I am uninsurable?

No. It means one underwriter said no to one presentation. Whether the wider market will say yes depends on the reason, and that is the first thing to find out.

Do I have to tell other insurers I was declined?

Yes, where a form asks — and almost all do — and in any case under the Insurance Act 2015 if it is material, which a PI decline nearly always is. Explain it in a sentence; it is far less damaging disclosed than discovered.

My insurer says it is ‘unable to offer renewal terms’ — is that a decline?

For disclosure purposes, treat it as one. Some forms distinguish non-renewal from decline, most catch both, and the honest answer is the safe one.

Should I apply to lots of insurers myself to see who will quote?

No. PI underwriters can see when a risk has been sent everywhere, and many decline on principle. One broker, one presentation, the right insurers in the right order is how declined risks get placed.

How quickly can Apex tell me whether a declined risk is placeable?

Usually within days of receiving the decline, the schedule and your account of what happened. If the answer is that the market is not there today, we tell you that too, and what would change it.

Declined? Send us the letter

Forward the decline, your schedule and a paragraph on what happened. A named Apex broker will tell you plainly whether it was the insurer, the presentation or the risk — and what we can do about it. Or call 0117 325 0027.

Get a second opinion on a decline → Request a callback

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 about professional indemnity insurance, not advice on your individual circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.