Many of the main, brand name UK commercial insurance companies offer packaged products designed specifically for different types of business, one of the most popular is office insurance.
A standard policy will include a range of covers, for example business assets, computers, liabilities, money and business interruption. You can usually add other sections and increase certain limits of cover. The main additional cover available nowadays is commercial legal expenses which is a natural follow on to the UK becoming increasingly litigious.
More and more businesses, not just those that undertake mainly clerical duties are being asked to provide proof that they have professional indemnity insurance. It is not a legal requirement and the bodies that are asking for this proof are usually other companies that you work, or contract for.
It is a natural question to see if this cover can be added to your main policy. Some insurers do this. The problem is that they only add this cover if they can, naturally, underwrite it themselves. What does this mean? That there is no choice, you take their price or nothing at all.
In the main, if we are asked to provide PI insurance, we will go to a separate, specialist, insurer. The reason being is that we can then give you the choice. We look for a few quotes and then come to you with the best possible option.
Whilst you can have one overall office insurance policy, with PI, you are in the vast majority of cases better to get an open market quote for a single, separate policy.