Interior designers' insurance

Why do interior designers need professional indemnity insurance?

Let’s face it, it’s tough out there. Winning your next contract depends on a lot of things - not all of them down to how good your marketing is.

Word of mouth matters. And although it’s probably too much to expect work to fall in your lap, your reputation can work wonders. It’s worth the investment of a job well done.

That’s why you have to be extra careful. A client who thinks theirs is a job done badly can cause real problems. Money-draining, time-sapping, reputation-troubling problems that don’t go away if you ignore them.

Interior designers’ insurance is, well, designed to tackle exactly those things for you. If you’re fending off a client’s allegations you’ve made a mistake or not done what they asked, your insurance pays to defend you in court. It gives you the means to right your wrongs and compensate your client too.

Having it means you can concentrate on what really matters: running your business.

How much professional indemnity insurance do I need?

There’s no right or wrong answer here (apart from ‘none at all’).

Your best bet is to buy as much as possible, or as much as you can afford. Either way, a little bit of thought will help.

Start by asking yourself some simple questions. Such as: what’s the worst that could happen? What’s the biggest mistake I could make? What am I being asked to do? Who am I working for? Is my work part of a larger contract? If so, what’s the total value? Do I have budget responsibility? Am I in charge of specifying materials and appointing subcontractors? Your answers will give you a good idea of the ‘amount’ of risk, and therefore how much cover you need.

It’s a tricky one to get right. Have a read of this guide or call us if you need more help.

What does professional indemnity insurance cover?

Negligence claims and allegations made against you by clients and third parties, because of mistakes you’ve made and things you’ve failed to do.

Specifically (but depending on the policy wording):

• Defamation
• Intellectual property infringement
• Loss of documents or data
• Negligent misrepresentation or misstatement
• Employee dishonesty
• Virus transmission
• Breach of confidentiality
• Failure of third-party equipment

But that’s not all. Some professional indemnity policies can fix a mistake before your client is even aware of it, thereby preventing a claim in the first place.

Clever stuff.

Do I need public liability insurance?

Seeing as how you spend a lot of time out and about on site, with clients, we’d say yes you do.

Interior designers’ public liability insurance covers third-party physical damage claims against you. So, if you accidently break something or injure someone, you’re covered. And not just for the legal costs either - your policy pays compensation and/or damages too.

What else do I need?

Employers’ liability insurance covers your business if an employee sues it for damages. Claims are usually because they’ve suffered injuries and illnesses as a consequence of working for you. It’s a legal requirement for UK businesses with employees.

Office and property insurance covers the things in your studio (furniture, plants, fixed IT equipment etc) and portable insurance covers gadgets and technical equipment away from the studio (laptops, tablets, projectors etc). If you’re not sure it’s worth insuring, add it all up - it’s probably worth more than you think.

Business interruption insurance means you can still work when your studio’s out of action. Be it flood, fire or flea infestation, you’re covered for the costs of setting up elsewhere and for any lost revenue in that time.

Directors’ and officers’ insurance covers your company bosses. Anyone from regulators to shareholders to competitors can accuse you of not running a business with due care. Worse, directors are personally liable for their actions. The good thing is this insurance covers your defence costs and any compensation you have to pay. So you can put away your chequebook.

Why should I buy my insurance from you?

Glad you asked.

The simple answer is: we know what we’re doing. Professional insurance is all we do so we know what you need, even if you don’t.

We also know that buying insurance can be, well, a bit of a pain. So we make sure getting yours is quick and hassle-free.

We do all that while treating you like a human being, too. You won’t find a call centre here. Or a phone menu. And we’ve banned nonsense insurance jargon.

Anything else? Well, there’s the great stuff you get, such as an ‘I’m insured!’ badge for your website - perfect for the professional professional.

Also, we’ll give you money each time you recommend us.

If you’re after a second opinion, have a look at our customers’ feedback. They’re the ones you should really listen to.