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Aug 28th 2026
Article by PolicyBee
Most insurers’ policy wordings are littered with insurance jargon and legalese, leaving them (and their readers) mired in a muddle.
This begs the question: why is the most important information made the least accessible?
How do you know what’s covered by your insurance if you don’t know what the words mean?
Yes, we know these are legal documents. And yes, we know they have to be watertight and unambiguous. But that’s no excuse for making everything unintelligible, is it?
But until insurers realise times have changed and insurance jargon is neither wanted or needed, it looks like we’re stuck with it.
In the meantime, we’ll help you cut through the waffle by explaining a few particularly tricky pieces of jargon. So that next time you’re faced with a policy wording, you won’t have to google something every other sentence.
The conditions in your policy set out everything the insurer expects from you. Like making your payments on time or reporting incidents to them within a certain timeframe.
Medical malpractice policies in particular can come with lots of conditions so it’s important to read these properly. Miss a step somewhere, and your insurer might just step out of paying your claim.
All professional indemnity insurance policies cover your professional negligence. But some limit their cover to just that, while others pick up any other civil liability claim against you too.
This means you’re covered for claims made against you in a civil court, and subject to civil damages, not necessarily related to your professional negligence.
More commonly called an ‘excess‘, it’s the part of a claim you pay. Fairly obviously, the amount of money involved in a loss must be higher than the excess for your insurer to cover it.
‘Deliverables’ are defined as software, hardware, firmware, cabling or electronic equipment. They’re usually only specifically covered under an IT professional indemnity policy.
If part or all of your contract involves designing, producing, or supplying these things, and they’re either not up to spec or are proven defective, you’re covered if your client sues you for breach of said contract.
A professional indemnity insurance extension that comes into effect when the policy expires. Often called run-off cover or just run-off.
If a claim is made against you after your policy’s ended, it’s not covered – even if it relates to work you did when your policy was running. Having run-off cover means it is. How long you have it for is up to you, but at least a year is a good idea (unless you’re a chartered accountant or an architect, and then it’s six years).
This shows (some of) the information about your business your insurer needs to calculate how much to charge you. Broadly, it notes your turnover and payroll figures at the time you bought insurance, as well as things like the industry you work in.
It’s a good idea – and a condition of your policy – to keep an eye on these figures and to keep your insurer updated throughout the year. A significant revenue increase, for example, could mean you’re suddenly underinsured without knowing it.
Contains the same information as a schedule and is issued if you change something about your insurance mid-term, before your renewal’s due. It notes what’s changed and sits alongside the rest of your documents.
Pretty explanatory, this one. It’s a clause within your policy that sets out which activities, circumstances, or types of damages aren’t covered.
The basic principle of insurance. If you suffer a loss, it’s your insurer’s job to make sure you’re not out of pocket. In reality, this means paying you money or replacing an item.
The idea is you’re returned to the same financial position you were in before the loss/claim happened.
If a client alleges you’ve been negligent, and sues you for their losses, your professional indemnity insurance covers it.
But if, because of your negligence, your client (the ‘principal’) is sued by their client, an indemnity to principals clause in your policy means your insurer has to cover your client’s client’s losses too (the ‘indemnity’).
If you’ve spotted an indemnity to principals clause in a client’s contract, you’ll need to ask your insurer if they’re happy to cover it. Whether they will or not depends on the work you’re doing, and how much it’s worth. Don’t assume it’s covered.
Sometimes called ‘sub-limits’. These are conditions within a policy which are effectively a payment cap on how much your insurer will pay out for certain items or to fix certain categories of claims.
They’re found in all types of policies, including in contents and professional indemnity insurance, to stop insurers from paying out a bundle for ‘risky areas’ that might have the knock-on effect of raising the overall cost of their insurance.
Anything that influences the insurer’s decision to cover you, under what clauses/exclusions/warranties/terms and conditions, and for how much, is a material fact.
You’re expected to ‘disclose all material facts’ when you get your insurance. If you’re not sure what constitutes a material fact, you could do worse than tell your insurer everything about you and your business. They don’t like surprises, after all.
The bits in your policy wording that define what’s covered.
A document containing information specific to you and your policy. It details your policy number, your business’s details, the cover you’ve bought, how much you’re paying, when your cover runs from/to, and the subsections of cover included within each type of insurance you have. It’s all about you, really.
An important one, this. It’s a list of statements confirming the things your business does and doesn’t do. Your insurer’s decision to cover you, and under what specific terms, is based on this information.
If it turns out you do something when your statement of fact says you don’t, and there’s a claim, your insurer has every right not to cover it. Better make sure it’s right, then.
If you’re sued by your client for something that’s not actually your fault, and your insurer pays out, your insurer can recover their losses from the culpable third party. This is called their right to subrogation.
Essentially, it’s passing the cost of the claim on to the person or organisation that’s actually at fault.
Usually only relevant to recruitment and employment agencies, vicarious liability covers both an agency’s negligence and that of the people it places.
Non-vicarious liability, by the same token, limits the cover to just the agency’s negligence.
Whether you need it or not is determined by your contracts. Whether your insurer offers it or not is determined by what your placements do.
A very strict condition – sometimes called an ‘obligation’ – in your policy, set by your insurer. It’s not to be ignored. Breaching it means your insurer has the right to chuck out your claim, no questions asked.
Hopefully that busts a few tricky bits of insurance jargon that have been plaguing you.
We know how frustrating jargon can be. That’s why we always try to cut it from as much of our communications with our customers as possible. That’s one of the advantages of using us as your insurance broker.
Unfortunately, you will still find it in your policy documents. The insurer writes these themselves, so we can’t change them. But we are always here to help explain them in plain English.
For more jargon explanations, feel free to check out this handy insurance jargon-buster.
Aug 18th 2026
Article by PolicyBee
If you have employees, you’ll usually need employers’ liability (EL) insurance.
It protects your business if someone who works for you gets ill or injured at work. And supports your staff if you owe them compensation.
It’s a legal requirement for most UK businesses. And that makes being clued up on it extremely important.
Fortunately, EL is something we do know all about. In this guide, we’ll explain:
Employers’ liability insurance covers your business if an employee (or former employee) claims for injuries and illnesses they’ve suffered because of their work.
It pays any compensation awarded to them and covers your legal costs, too.
It’s especially important because it’s the only business insurance required by law. It’s also our third most-requested type of cover after professional indemnity insurance and public liability.
It’s safe to say most UK businesses that employ people probably need EL.
An ’employee’ doesn’t just mean full-time staff and anyone who carries out work for you can be classed as an employee. Including:
Even if someone isn’t on your payroll, you’re still responsible for their health and safety if you direct, supervise, or tell them what to do in any way.
According to the HSE, you’d need employers’ liability insurance for anyone ‘who you employ under a contract of service or apprenticeship’.
As a simple rule of thumb: if someone works under your direction, uses your tools, or follows your schedule, they probably need to be covered.
There are a few exceptions. You might not need employers’ liability insurance if:
If you’re unsure, it’s worth checking what the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says on the matter. Or getting some advice from an insurance broker – like us.
If you should have employers’ liability insurance but don’t, and a health and safety officer comes knocking, you could be in line for a hefty fine.
The HSE can fine you up to £2,500 each day you’re uninsured. Plus another £1,000 for not displaying an insurance certificate.
In fairness, it’s likely you’ll be given a few days’ grace to sort out a policy rather than get fined on the spot. But it’s best not to chance it.
By law, most businesses need at least £5 million of cover.
In practice, most insurers offer £10 million as standard. That’s because employers’ liability claims can be costly – especially if they involve serious injuries or long-term illness and lots of time off work.
Even a claim for back problems sustained by sitting for long periods in a non-ergonomic office chair can easily run into £thousands. And serious accidents and injuries inevitably demand much more…
The cost of your employers’ liability will depend on a few different factors. Insurers usually look at things like:
The good news is your policy usually covers all your employees, even as your business grows.
You’ll pay the same whether you have one employee or several. And you don’t have to tell your insurer every time someone joins or leaves your company.
You might have heard that public liability (PL) insurance also protects your business from work-related accidents and illnesses. And in a way you’d be right.
But PL and EL cover very different types of claims.
The clue’s in the name. Employers’ liability covers claims from your employees. While public liability covers claims from members of the public (including any customers, visitors to your office, or innocent bystanders).
Many insurers sell both policies together. And so many businesses choose to have both, so they know they’re covered for all scenarios.
Claims don’t have to be big and dramatic. Many come from everyday workplace risks.
For example:
As soon as an accident like this happens, even if it’s a seemingly minor knock or trip, you must log it in your accident report book and tell your broker or insurer about it.
Employee-related illness and injury claims can take a while to surface and the first thing the insurer will check is whether they were notified of the accident at the time (as per the terms of your policy).
They’ll also want to know if your employee complained to you about their accident or injury, either verbally or in writing. These should be flagged up with your insurer straightaway to ensure your claim goes through smoothly.
It can feel daunting if an employee (or former employee) believes their illness or injury was caused by their work. But you won’t be left dealing with it alone.
Here’s what normally happens during EL claims:
Insurers try hard to make sure most EL claims are resolved out of court.
However, unexpected things happen sometimes. If your insurer decides you’re not responsible for the claim but your employee tries to press it anyway, you might have to justify your position in front of a judge.
If that happens, don’t worry. Your insurer still covers your court costs and appoints a lawyer to defend your reputation.
Whatever the outcome, you can rely on having your insurer’s support from start to finish. And if you use a broker, you’ll also have an intermediary checking in on you and making sure you’re clear on what’s happening at every stage.
Employers’ liability is your legal safety net for workplace injury and illnesses. But it doesn’t cover everything.
Depending on your business, you might also want:
EPLI and D&O combined form a protective armour that covers employment-related claims against your leadership team and the wider business.
Unfortunately, today’s business risks often extend beyond the stock room or office ergonomics. Where EL leaves off, EPLI and D&O can shine.
When you get your policy documents from your insurer or broker, you should stick your employers’ liability certificate in an obvious spot on a suitable wall – somewhere everyone can see it. That’s because it’s your legal responsibility to have it in a place others can easily read it.
And if you don’t have a wall, you can store your certificate electronically. Just make sure your people know how to access it if they want to.
In a nutshell, carrying EL ensures peace of mind that your employees are looked after. And your reputation as a responsible employer kept squeaky clean.
If you want EL advice straight from the horse’s mouth, the HSE has put together a handy employers’ liability insurance guide. It’s everything you need to know about employers’ liability in one document.
Aug 7th 2026
When you’re running a small business, it’s common to answer the phone yourself. In the early days, that usually works perfectly well.
As your business grows, however, it can become harder to manage incoming calls alongside customers, meetings and the day-to-day running of your business. That’s when many business owners start wondering whether they need extra support.
The answer will depend on how your business operates, the number of calls you receive and how you want your customers to experience your business.
Not necessarily.
If you work alone, receive very few phone enquiries or most customers contact you by email or online forms, employing a full-time receptionist may not be the best use of your budget.
At this stage, investing in areas that help you grow your business is often a higher priority.
As your business becomes busier, managing every call yourself can become increasingly difficult.
You may find yourself:
At first, this may only happen occasionally. Over time, however, it can become part of your daily routine, making it harder to focus on running your business.
Missing the occasional call might not seem like a major issue, but it can have a real impact over time.
Not every caller will leave a voicemail or try again. If someone can’t reach you, they may simply contact another business instead.
Whether it’s a potential customer requesting a quote, an existing client needing support or a supplier trying to get hold of you, answering calls promptly helps create a positive first impression and shows that your business is responsive and reliable.
If you’re regularly missing calls, hiring a receptionist might seem like the obvious solution.
For some businesses, that’s exactly the right choice. However, employing someone full-time comes with significant costs and responsibilities, including recruitment, training, holiday cover, pension contributions and National Insurance.
For many small businesses, there may be a more flexible alternative.
A telephone answering service gives your business access to trained receptionists without the cost of employing someone in-house.
It can be a good option if you:
Calls are answered in your company name, messages are passed on promptly and callers receive a consistent experience every time they get in touch.
Not necessarily.
If you receive very few calls or you’re usually available to answer the phone yourself, you may not need an answering service.
However, if missed calls are becoming more frequent or answering the phone is constantly interrupting your day, it could be a practical way to improve customer service while giving yourself more time to focus on growing your business.
Not every small business needs a full-time receptionist.
What’s important is making sure your customers can reach you when they need to. Whether that’s by answering calls yourself, employing a receptionist or using a telephone answering service, having the right support in place can help you deliver a better experience while protecting your own time.
Looking for a professional way to manage your calls?
MYCO Connect provides telephone answering services that act as a seamless extension of your business.
Our UK-based receptionists greet callers in your company name, take messages and transfer calls, helping you avoid losing valuable opportunities.
Explore our telephone answering plans today or get in touch with our team to find the right solution for your business.
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