Hard-to-place professional indemnity · CCJ · UK

Professional indemnity insurance with a CCJ

A county court judgment against your firm or one of its principals will end most online quotes. It does not end your ability to buy professional indemnity insurance — it changes how you have to buy it.

Part of: Non-standard professional indemnity

In short

A CCJ does not stop a professional firm getting professional indemnity insurance, but it usually stops it getting cover through an online form or a scheme. Most PI proposal forms ask whether the firm, its principals or any predecessor practice has had a county court judgment, been subject to insolvency proceedings, or had insurance declined; online products often decline automatically on a ‘yes’. Under the Insurance Act 2015 a judgment that a prudent insurer would want to know about must be disclosed, satisfied or not. The route through is a full written presentation — what the judgment was for, whether and when it was satisfied, what has changed — placed with underwriters who assess the firm rather than tick a box. 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 with a CCJ or other non-standard history 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 a CCJ matters to a professional indemnity insurer

Insurers are not judging your character. They are reading a judgment as evidence of three things: financial pressure (which correlates with corners cut and complaints), a risk that the premium will not be paid, and a risk that the firm fails and leaves the insurer with run-off exposure. A judgment for a disputed supplier invoice tells a different story from a judgment for unpaid tax, and a judgment from six years ago that was satisfied in a month is different again from an unsatisfied one from last spring. The presentation has to make those distinctions for the underwriter, because the form will not.

What you have to disclose

If the form asks, answer accurately — and most PI proposal forms ask about judgments against the firm, its principals, and any predecessor or associated business, often with no time limit.
Even where the form does not ask, the Insurance Act 2015 duty of fair presentation means a material circumstance must be disclosed. A CCJ against a professional firm is almost always material.
Satisfied does not mean forgotten. A judgment paid within one month is removed from the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines; paid later, it stays on the register marked satisfied for six years from the date of judgment. Either way, an ‘ever’ question still catches it.
A default judgment you did not know about can often be set aside by application to the court if you act promptly. Until it is, disclose it and explain it.

Non-disclosure is the one outcome worse than a loading. If the insurer finds the judgment at claim time, it can reduce or refuse the claim, and in a deliberate case avoid the policy altogether.

How Apex places professional indemnity with a CCJ

The judgment on page one, with context. What it was for, the amount, the date, whether it is satisfied (with the certificate of satisfaction if you have one), and what changed. Underwriters price a story they understand.
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.
The judgment details: court, date, amount, claimant, and a certificate of satisfaction or proof of payment where it applies.

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

Do I have to declare a satisfied CCJ on a PI proposal form?

If the form asks about judgments — and most do, often with no time limit — yes. Satisfaction is a strong mitigating fact, so declare it with the evidence. Under the Insurance Act 2015 a material judgment must be disclosed whether or not a specific question is asked.

Will a CCJ increase my professional indemnity premium?

Often, but not always by much. A single satisfied judgment with a clear explanation may attract a modest loading with a specialist insurer or none at all. An unsatisfied judgment, or several, narrows the market further and the terms reflect that. We cannot promise a figure; we can promise to tell you plainly.

Can I pay monthly if I have a CCJ?

Sometimes not. Premium-finance providers run their own credit checks and may decline or price up. Be prepared for the premium to be payable in full, and tell us early if that is a problem so we can look at options.

Does a CCJ against a director personally affect the firm’s PI?

Usually the form asks about principals, partners and directors as well as the firm, so yes, it needs disclosing, and it will be underwritten as part of the firm’s presentation. Context matters: a personal judgment from a previous business is treated differently from one connected to the current practice.

My insurer found out about a CCJ I did not declare — what happens?

It depends on whether the non-disclosure was deliberate or reckless. If it was, the insurer can avoid the policy and keep the premium. If it was careless, the insurer applies a proportionate remedy: it may reduce a claim payment, apply different terms retrospectively, or, if it would never have written the risk, avoid the policy and return the premium. Talk to us before renewal and put it right.

Get a straight answer on PI with a CCJ

Send us the judgment details, your schedule and a paragraph on what happened. A named Apex broker will tell you plainly whether we can place it and on roughly what terms. 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 about professional indemnity insurance, not advice on your individual circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.