FAQ
Find the answers to the top questions about our insurance products.
General Questions
What is Public Liability?
Public Liability provides cover for claims made against you in respect of injury to third parties, or damage to third party property, caused by you in the conduct of your business.
What is Home Office Contents Cover?
Home Office Contents and Portable Equipment insurance protects you when your business equipment is accidentally lost, damaged, or stolen in or from your home business premises or whilst you are away from your home office. The insurer will pay you for damage occurring during the period of insurance, up to the amounts shown in the schedule.
What is Cyber Cover?
This policy will protect your business from cyber-attack and any liabilities that arise due to a breach of privacy legislation, including but not limited to the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Act (GDPR). Cover is also provided for Media Liability and Payment Card Industry Fines and Penalties. You have direct access to a 24/7/365 helpline in the event of an incident.
What is Legal Expenses?
Your business faces many challenges daily and from time to time unforeseen problems emerge. Essential Business Legal provides professional legal and financial support. For example, you can get a legal health check, keep up to date with health & safety legislation, get access to free employment documentation and other business documents, resolve problems with neighbours, suppliers, customers or between business partners. Your executive team can benefit from a suite of additional covers.
What is Employers Liability?
As an employer, you have responsibilities to protect your employees, which includes a legal requirement to have employers’ liability insurance. This insurance is designed to protect employers against the cost of compensation claims, should an employee injure themselves or become ill as a result of working for them.
Will I receive anything in the post?
We have streamlined our entire operation to ensure everything you require is available either online, or emailed to you. As we are an online company, we are therefore ‘non-paper based’ and all correspondence and policy documentation will be sent to you via your email address.
Why do I need to provide an email address?
Our philosophy is to make the purchasing and renewal of your insurances as quick and easy as possible. Therefore, streamlining the process to a complete on-line facility is optimum. For this to work we need to know your email address most used, as this is how we will contact you during the policy period and to advise you of renewal.
Which Insurers do you use?
We use a number of Insurers for our schemes and these can be found on our website or on the Policy Wordings found on the Important Information page, as well as shown on your Schedule of Insurance document after purchase.
What is the Admin Fee for?
As our premiums are highly competitive, the commission earned from insurers are not enough to meet the administration and marketing costs involved in running our schemes. Therefore, we charge an Admin Fee on each individual risk to offset these costs. However, we continually check our premiums to ensure the overall cost to you isn't excessive, and remains market competitive. If we find this isn't the case, our premiums and fees are reviewed accordingly.
How do I know that I won't be spammed?
The information given to us including your email address is treated with the strictest confidence and within the rules of GDPR. We and the insurers are the only people who will see your details. Every now and then we send out newsletters on subjects we feel may be pertinent to you, and the running of your company, for example - new available insurances, but these will only ever come from us and never from an outside third party.
What is Professional Indemnity?
Professional Indemnity insurance provides cover for claims made against you in relation to any negligent act, error or omission, or breach of professional duty in the conduct of your business. The easiest way to look at professional indemnity is 'fee for service'. If you promote yourself as an expert in a specific field, and based on that information a client contracts to use your services, they have a right to believe you can do what you say. In the event that during or after the contract period, it is evident that you cannot or did not fulfil the contract for lack of expertise, the client has a right to seek recompense.
What is Insurance Premium Tax (IPT)
Insurance policies do not attract VAT (apart from one or two exceptions). In its place is Insurance Premium Tax, which is calculated as a percentage (12%) of gross premium applicable to each policy. This IPT is taken by us and paid over to insurers, who then pass it on the Inland Revenue.
What if my turnover increases during the year?
Whilst it is important that you declare your true estimated annual turnover for the period of the insurance, its main use is to calculate premium. Should, during the policy period, your turnover increase slightly due to additional contracts obtained, then we really don't need to be advised. All you need you to do is declare your updated turnover when renewing your policy next year. However, should your turnover increase dramatically during the policy period, it is always advisable to make insurers aware of this fact. In these circumstances insurers may choose to ask for an additional premium, or simply note the new turnover and ask for it to be declared on renewal. If you are unsure as to what constitutes a marginal increase, it is always advisable to email us the details and we will inform insurers on your behalf and let you know their reply.
Is your website secure?
Our website uses high grade encryption (RC4 128bit). Encryption makes it very difficult for unauthorised people to view information travelling between computers. It is therefore very unlikely that anyone could read information as it travelled across the network.
If I cancel my policy, what refund do I receive?
Should you cancel your policy mid-way through the period of insurance, we will provide a pro-rata refund of the premium paid by you, as long the unexpired portion of your premium is over six months. If you have less than six months to run on your policy, we reserve the right to decline a refund and will look at each case individually. Commissions and/or fees are not refundable. If you would like to cancel your policy, you can do so at any time by logging in to your My Trafalgar Portal and following the link at the bottom of the page ‘Cancel my Policy’. You can now cancel a section of your policy, rather than the whole policy (this excludes the Professional Indemnity product). In order to cancel a section of the policy, you will need to follow the ‘Cancel my Policy’ link in your My Trafalgar Portal.
I have recently applied for cover, but have not received my login details?
If you have completed an online application and been accepted, your ‘My Trafalgar Portal’ login details will be sent to the email address included within the application. Therefore, please ensure the email address you use is one that can be accessed easily and one that you regularly check. Occasionally our confirmation and invoice email may be sent to the spam section of your emails. In these instances, it is advisable to 'safelist' the trafalgarinsurance.co.uk emails to ensure this doesn't happen again. You can also click the link ‘Forgot my Password’ and receive a password reset to access your account.
How long does it take to purchase cover?
We strongly recommend you view the ‘Policy Wording’ and ‘Summary of Cover’ documents which can be found on our Important Information or Product Information page, ensuring the coverage given under our policies meet with your individual requirements. If our policies are acceptable, then the purchasing process - from obtaining a quotation to printing out your documentation - takes less than five (5) minutes.
Policy Documentation
Can I look at what you cover before I buy a policy?
Our website includes a summary of cover for each policy we sell, along with the corresponding policy wording. This provides you with all the terms and conditions applicable.
How long is it before I receive my documentation?
The summary of cover and policy wording are available on our website at any time to view and print out. Your schedule of insurance is ready immediately once cover has been confirmed online, and can be retrieved once payment has been made. If you pay by credit card, we email your login details to you straight away and the schedules can be viewed and printed. If you choose to pay by BACS, then we will send you the relevant login details once the funds have been received by us. If you have selected the insurance cover type ‘Employers Liability’, you will need to enter your ‘ELTO’ details in order to retrieve your policy documents. You will receive an email from ourselves with details on how to enter your ELTO details.
Why is the premium(s) on my policy schedule(s) different to the amount I paid for my insurances?
Under UK Law we are required to show the premium & insurance premium tax charged by the Insurer for that specific policy on the schedule of insurance. The overall amount we quote and that you pay includes our Admin Fee, which is initially shown on the quotation page and then also within the invoice we email to you. This is the difference in the amounts. You can also view your ‘Policy Invoice’ which will show you the full breakdown of your premium on one page.
Do you follow GDPR guidelines?
Our main purpose is to obtain an insurance quote, arrange an insurance policy for you and service that insurance policy as required. Some of that work may be undertaken by us as cover holder of the insurer (where we would still act as a Data controller). Our main legal reason will be one of the following: We are arranging a contract to which you (or the legal entity you work for) will be a party. We are providing you (or the legal entity you work for) a service as an insurance broker or at some point in the future a credit broker and that may be under a contract (written or otherwise) we have with you (or the legal entity you work for). We may be following our legitimate business interests of acting as an insurance broker or at some point in the future a credit broker.
Why has my application been queried?
When completing your application, you will be asked some questions set by the insurers. If you need to give some further information within one of these questions, this will trigger a ‘queried application’ which is forwarded to the underwriter at the relevant insurance company to review and respond to. The process is generally quick, with a response give within 24-48 hours, however this is dependent on the underwriter.
How to I update my status from "Applying to be" to "AAT Licensed"?
We understand that many clients who take out a policy with ourselves have applied for their AAT License, and therefore we have the option ‘Applying to be a AAT Licensed Accountant or Bookkeeper’. This can be upgraded to ‘AAT Licensed Accountant or Bookkeeper’ throughout the year, without an increase of premium. All you would need to do is contact ourselves directly and make us aware so we can update this for you.
What do I do if I have changed from Accountant to Bookkeeper, or Bookkeeper to Accountant?
If you have applied for a policy under one scheme ‘e.g. AAT Licensed Bookkeeper’, and then change you licence to ‘AAT Licensed Accountant’, you will need to make some updates to your policy. In this event, you will need to contact ourselves directly, so we can instruct you on how to change your policy to reflect this.
I am changing my company status, what do I do?
If you are changing your Company Status (e.g., from a Sole Trader to a Limited Company) during your policy, you just need to contact ourselves directly, so we can amend your Company Name and declaration on your policy documents. There is no additional premium for this.
How do I change my Company Name?
If you are currently a Limited Company, and have changed your company name, you will need to email us a copy of your ‘Companies House Certificate’ showing the name change. We will then be able to update the company name shown on the policy documents after receiving this.
What is retroactive cover?
A retroactive date is the date from which you have held uninterrupted professional indemnity insurance cover (even if you changed insurer during this time) or a date in the past from which your insurer has agreed to cover you. Any claims that arise from events prior to this date is not covered by your insurance.
Quotations
Can quotations be given over the phone?
We are unable to provide clients with quotations over the telephone. To obtain a quote, you will need to use our websites quotation engine.
How long does it take to get a quote?
Obtaining a quotation takes less than 30 seconds! Simply input your estimated annual turnover; trading status; number of employees and the limit of indemnity you require and a quote will be given.
My partner is employed and is on the payroll. Should I include them within the number of employees?
Yes, they should be included even if they are only employed in a company secretarial or administration role.
What if my turnover increases during the year?
Whilst it is important that you declare your true estimated annual turnover for the period of the insurance's, its main use is to calculate premium. Should your turnover increase slightly during the policy period due to additional contracts obtained, you are not obliged to inform us. All you need you to do is declare your updated turnover when renewing your policy next year. However, should your turnover increase dramatically during the policy period (for example, by more than 15%), it is always advisable to make insurers aware of this fact. In these circumstances insurers may choose to ask for an pro-rata additional premium, or simply note the new turnover and ask for it to be declared on renewal. If you are unsure as to what constitutes a marginal increase, it is always advisable to email us the details and we will pass these onto insurers on your behalf and let you know their reply.
What is Insurance Premium Tax (IPT)?
Insurance policies do not attract VAT (apart from one or two exceptions). Instead the government introduced some years ago Insurance Premium Tax, which is calculated as a percentage of gross premium applicable to each policy. This IPT is taken by us and paid over to insurers, who then pass it on the Inland Revenue.
What will the quotation include?
Our quotations are made up of the gross premium required by Insurers, along with the IPT payable and our Admin Fee. The IPT & Admin Fee are specified at the bottom of each quotation.
Why do you charge an Admin Fee?
For us to successfully operate a streamlined online system as we do, our premiums need to be highly competitive. Unfortunately, this means we have to add an Admin Fee to the commission paid to us by Insurers on each case to meet administration and marketing costs. However, we continually check our premiums against market competitors to ensure the overall cost to you, including our Admin Fee, isn't excessive and remains competitive. If we find this isn't the case, our premiums and fees are reviewed accordingly.
What is a Retired and Run-Off Policy?
It is important to note that Professional Indemnity Insurance is provided on a "claims made" basis i.e., it is the policy you have in force when the claim is made that operates, rather than the policy you had when the work was carried out. It is possible that previous clients could still take future legal action against you for past work and in such circumstances, you would need a current policy to be in effect. For this reason, we recommend that clients review their needs, even where they have retired or ceased trading, to ensure an appropriate level of protection is maintained. If a suitable period has past or you traded as a Limited Company which has been formally closed, then it is reasonable to allow your cover to lapse. The PI insurer ‘Trafalgar Insurance Company Limited’ offers clients a policy to cover against these potential historical claims for a one-off policy for 6 years at a reduced premium. Please contact us directly and we will be able to instruct you further on how to take out this policy.
Premium Payment
How can I pay for my insurances?
Payment for your insurances can be made by credit card or BACS (bank) transfer. If you choose to pay by credit card your documents will be available immediately for printing. If you choose to pay by BACS, your documents will be released on receipt of cleared funds.
I am reluctant to provide my credit card details over the Internet. Can I pay any other way?
Yes. We accept payment by BACS if you are uneasy providing your credit card details over the Internet. The drawback to using this method is that you will not be able to print your certificates immediately. We will release your certificates once your money has been received into our bank account.
Is your website secure?
Our website uses high grade encryption (RC4 128bit). Encryption makes it very difficult for unauthorised people to view information travelling between computers. It is therefore very unlikely that anyone could read information as it travelled across the network.
Do you price-match?
We are happy to price match any policies on a ‘like-for-like’ basis. Please contact us directly as we will need to see a copy/screenshot of the policy details for the price match.
Renewals
Do you send out reminders to renew?
We will send out your initial renewal reminder 30 days prior to expiry of your existing policy(s). If we don't hear back from you we send out another reminder 14 days and 7 days prior to expiry. We also send a letter to you if we receive no response after the 14 day email.
How do I renew my policy?
Renewing your policy is easy. We will send you an email 30 days prior to the expiry of your existing policy, asking if cover is to be renewed and providing you with a renewal link that will take you into your account. Simply check the details are correct, or make any necessary changes and hit the quote button. This will give you your renewal premium and if all is okay, proceed as normal in completing and paying for the cover.
I have renewed my policy, so why do you keep sending me reminders?
Our renewal system works from the link included within the renewal email. Therefore, if you don't use that link to renew your policy, but simply log into our website and 'buy' cover again, our system won't pick it up and continue to send the renewal email to ensure cover is maintained.
Why do I need to provide an email address?
Our philosophy is to make the purchasing and renewal of your insurances as quick and easy as possible. Therefore, streamlining the process to a complete on-line facility is optimum. For this to work we need to know your email address most used, as this is how we will contact you during the policy period and to advise you of renewal.