If you run a small business, by now, you know better than to expect a world free of uncertainty, and changing up the way you do things has probably become second nature. As you continue to adapt your business to an ever changing environment, it’s also important to ensure your cover stays up to date with your business’s circumstances. One way to do this is by undertaking a thorough review of your insurance cover. Some general housekeeping of your insurance policies can help you be sure the policies you have are correct and provide you with the protection you need. If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve broken it down into 4 easy steps for you...

Some of the easiest details to overlook on insurance policies are sometimes the most important. Basic details like your name, your business’s name, and address can be easy to skim over, but if incorrect, can cause unnecessary hassle at claim time. Some things to check include whether all entities are shown, if the spelling is correct, and whether the details are shown in full.

Your business description is another area which is very important to keep up to date. Your insurance documents should clearly state all the services your business provides. If you are currently providing services which are not listed on your insurance policy, or conducting activities which are outside the scope of your qualifications, you may not be covered under your Professional Indemnity Insurance. This is particularly important if you’ve taken on new staff members or contractors who provide additional service(s) which are not noted on your insurance policy. Even if the contractor has their own insurance policy, your client could still sue you for negligence of your contractor.

The sum insured (limit of indemnity) on your Professional Indemnity Insurance is another area you’ll need to revisit from time to time and keep updated. In the same way that your work may change over the years, your sum insured should be reviewed so you feel comfortable the limit is still adequate for your needs, you should also be aware of any obligations you have, such as a regulatory requirement, a trade association’s requirements or even a contract you may have signed that requires you to maintain specific sums insured.

There’s a lot more to your Professional Indemnity policy than you think – PI has several features which should be understood to ensure you have adequate protection. Some of these features we’ve outlined previously, but it doesn’t stop there. Some other areas of coverage you may need to look into include whether your policy covers you working out of various locations and whether work performed by contractors is covered.