Insurance for you
and your business
When it comes to specialist insurance, Towergate is the UK’s success story. We assess your business to protect it from risk with bespoke cover.
Our market influence and relationships with major insurers ensure that we can offer businesses reliable cover and real value. Knowledge, experience and a range of over 200 products prepare us to serve businesses in virtually every industry. But we don’t have a typical corporate structure and we don’t believe in one size fits all. We work locally, writing and transacting insurance with small businesses in mind.
We plan your cover around the unique requirements of your business so that it is fit for purpose.
We will always be available when you need us most – at the time of a claim. Likewise, we are where you need us – active in the communities we serve.
Our local brokers are always there to answer your questions and to ensure that our
insurance solutions are right for your business. We’re proactive planners and reactive to issues that could affect your business.
That’s why more and more British businesses are taking practical solutions and advice from us and it’s why we’re relied upon by businesses just like yours.
As your broker, we take the hard work out of insurance, so you can focus on what’s important – your business.
4.3m
Individual and commercial
insurance policies
200+
Insurance products – the
largest range in the market
£1.9bn
Total 2009 Gross Written Premium
No.1
Europe’s largest
independently owned
insurance intermediary
This is Towergate
As your broker,
we take the hard
work out of insurance.
So you can focus on what’s
important – your business.”
Before we provide solutions, we assess your business’s risk. Here’s how:
We call on the right knowledge and
experience. Our own was built up by joining together a network of insurance brokers who were each a specialist in their field.
Then, if necessary, we can confer with surveyors, underwriters, lawyers, loss adjustors, HR and health and safety experts – whoever it takes – at the drop of a hat.
In short, we’ll get the right expertise quickly, from the most informed sources available. This can involve documenting and detailing your business’s key suppliers and customers, vital equipment and plant machinery. It may be a case of determining where in your
organisation the various responsibilities for risk
management should sit. We may check your contingency plans and evaluate the strength of your supply chain.
We can ensure your employees are correctly trained and that evidence of this training exists. We can even look at your processes for storing data and intellectual property or review HR procedures and health and safety arrangements; your financial threats and access to legal advice. If necessary, we can also identify areas where on-site support could be beneficial...and we do all of this with personal service.
Then we provide solutions.
How we assess your
business risk
When it comes
to risk, we look
at your business
today
and
where
you want to be
tomorrow.”
Nothing stands still in business. Legislation changes, buying habits alter, technology moves quickly and all the time, you’ve a business to run and a reputation to protect. Amid all the change, a fine line separates opportunity and risk. Commercial insurance helps your business stay on this safer middle ground.
It keeps your business ready for opportunity and prepared for risks like: adverse market conditions, credit and liquidity problems, business interruptions, and health and safety issues.
Clearly focussing this kaleidoscope of risk, commercial insurance brings you peace of mind and with it; confidence. It leaves your business free to focus on what it does best. Then there is risk management, which
protects your assets and your revenue streams. Complementing your commercial insurance, risk management is about evaluating the needs of your business today and anticipating those of tomorrow.
Insurance for
your business
As a British success
story:
we’re at the
heart of communities,
with more than 100
offices nationwide.Our
customers consistently
tell us that they value
their Towergate
connection.”
When illness or injury affects an employee, even the most vigilant employers can be sued for damages under their employer’s liability insurance.
Employer’s liability insurance is a legal requirement. It protects employees and employers, meeting the cost of legal fees and compensation following claims made against employers by employees.
In the UK, businesses that employ staff must have employer’s liability cover. £5m of
employer’s liability cover is the minimum legal
requirement for most businesses with
employees. Employer’s liability claims are made against businesses when accident or illness is deemed to be, fully or partly, the fault of the employer. Your employer’s liability can be triggered by something as simple as a wet floor without the appropriate warning sign.
Did you know: An employer’s liability claim could be triggered even if the employee is a voluntary helper, or is self employed but working under your supervision? To cover anyone else, you need public liability insurance.
Professional indemnity insurance can help protect your business if a client has a problem with work you have done for them.
It gives your business access to legal fees to protect your reputation. It would also respond if your business were required to pay for errors that burdened a third party with unexpected losses.
A good example is when the failure to fulfil an order leaves a client in a detrimental position. Whether you want professional indemnity insurance as a safeguard against these costs, or to protect your business’s reputation, this cover could work for you.
Remember that your business does not have to have done anything wrong for claims to be made against it.
If you handle client data or third-party
intellectual property, there’s a chance you may need professional indemnity to protect you from claims regarding their misuse.
If a client calls into question the standard of your business’s services, any business could potentially find that professional indemnity insurance offers them valuable protection. It demonstrates to clients and authorities that your business has a pragmatic attitude towards risk.
If your products are consumed by individuals or other businesses you will know that the safety of those products is partly your responsibility. Manufacturers of products have the heaviest responsibility. But distributors – such as shops and wholesalers – have some legal responsibilities too. Likewise, businesses that service or customise also have a responsibility for the safety of products.
With product liability insurance in place, your business does not need to compromise on innovation or swift service. Product liability insurance demonstrates to the authorities and would-be clients that your business is a
responsible business, a business that manages product risks sensibly.
Product liability insurance can be bought as standalone cover, or as part of a specialist programme, tailored to your business. Businesses with product liability insurance could also benefit from product recall insurance, which protects against product recall expenses, including your liability for third-party loss.
Your public liability is triggered when accidents and mishaps occur, because of something your business has done, or neglected.
Public liability insurance keeps your business prepared for compensation claims from customers, members of the public following work related illness or injury.
Because public liability insurance responds to your liability to the public i.e. when there has been an injury, or damage to/loss of belongings. It pays related expenses and legal fees.
It will meet the cost in many situations. For example, if you are on a client’s premises and accidentally spill a drink on a computer; or if a customer trips on your premises. Your public liability could be triggered by something as simple as a wet floor.
It is not a legal requirement, but some of your clients may insist on you having public liability insurance before doing business with you. It keeps your business prepared and reassures clients, suppliers and authorities.
To cover employees, you need employer’s liability insurance. Many of our specialist policies include both together.
Employer’s liability
Professional indemnity
Product liability
Public liability
The Environmental Damage and Liability Regulations have given business owners more responsibility for the environment. The ‘polluter pays’ principle could make your business liable for the costs of environmental remediation. Remediation techniques like excavation, dredging and soil vapour extraction are usually protracted and expensive.
And if the first attempt does not succeed: the cost of complementary, and compensatory, remediation – when the primary remediation does not fully restore damage – can also be imposed on the polluter.
Where public liability insurance will not always: environmental liability insurance pays these associated costs, as well as those of removing risks to human health and restoring the condition of wildlife and habitats, air quality and water.
Did you know: environmental liability insurance is not just for businesses that handle
contaminants? If your business performs work on a site where contaminants are present, the actions of your business could incur
responsibility for environmental damage.
Property – those estates, premises and possessions that define your lifestyle – demands outstanding insurance.
Our range of specialist insurance can cover all sorts of property, whether it is the business or personal type, and whether it is for buildings, contents, personal possessions or vehicles. We are experts at covering business property – including large or unusual buildings, plant machinery and office equipment – with reliable cover designed specifically for purpose.
We have smart ways of underwriting property. For example, when it comes to buildings insurance, we are innovators. For both commercial and residential buildings, we offer access to a tool used by chartered surveyors to
calculate potential rebuilding costs. This helps protect premises from underinsurance and the disappointment of poor payouts.
Meanwhile, our risk-management offering is there to lower the chances of your property ever being damaged, stolen or vandalised in the first place.
We’re known for providing reliable premises cover, often where others can’t: for unoccupied-, listed- and let properties, holiday homes and buildings of non-standard construction.
Personal property, luxury watches, fine art, and even vintage cars and wine – these bespoke possessions can also be covered by our tailored insurance, protecting the things that matter most to you, worldwide.
Environmental liability
Property
Businesses are full of interdependencies. One major incident, like storm or arson damage, can lead to other problems, especially with customers, staff, suppliers and banks to keep happy.
If an insurable event – man-made or natural – results in an interruption to your trading, business interruption insurance can bridge the gap until a permanent solution is in place. This cover can be set-up to protect your gross profit or the gross fees you miss out on during any interruption. Quite simply, the amount of profit or income insured.
Increased costs of working (ICOW) are often incurred in these situations and ICOW can also
be insured. Remember: material damage losses will fall under separate cover; buildings and contents, for example.
Every business interruption claim lasts a different amount of time, so it’s crucial to identify a suitable indemnity period – that’s the length of time needed for trading conditions to have returned to levels you enjoyed before the loss occurred. Think about how long it would take for debris to be removed; for any issues with listed buildings to be overcome; for plant machinery to be built, imported and bedded in.
With our experience of common insurance claims and partnerships with risk-management product providers, we are well placed to assist your business with health and safety.
We can arrange legal support and cost- effective solutions for employment tribunals. We keep you up to date on changing legislation, and offer access to professional health and safety consultancy.
Our dedicated health and safety website, Towergate Risk Online, is available to help our
customers improve their health and safety processes. Your business can use Towergate Risk Online to comply with employment law and adhere to best-practice standards as an employer.
Our email newsletter brings you insight and advice on the national and global issues that could affect your business.
Business interruption
At Towergate, we offer a breadth of service that can make us invaluable advisers to both you and your business.
Towergate Financial complements our
insurance services with independent financial advice – taking the hard work out of
reducing financial threats and maximising opportunities.
We can assist with shareholder – and business protection, salary exchange, corporate wills, pensions advice and your employee benefits programme. For a more hands-on approach, a full consultancy service is also available. Satisfied business clients all over the country include start-up businesses, FTSE 100
companies, charities, professional bodies and UK subsidiaries of multinationals. Our private
client service can assist with all aspects of your individual financial planning, tailoring investments to match your attitude to risk. We can protect your assets and wealth with tax-efficient wrappers, unit trusts, OEICs, pensions, family protection, life assurance and wills. Our renowned mortgage arm, the independent brokerage John Charcol, can advise on the whole market to find the right mortgage for you.
It all adds up to a flexible approach to financial planning which is free from jargon, protects your personal wealth and helps you and your business plan for a secure and successful future.
For you and the future
of your business
We strive to select insurance policies that offer you reliable protection only, and clear policy wordings – we want you to know what to expect at the time of a claim.
We know that you only find out the true value of your insurance when it comes to making a claim, which is why we take pride in getting our claims service just right.
Because your experienced professional claims handler is used to supporting customers
throughout claims, you will find them prepared and efficient at what might be a worrying time for you. Your dedicated account handler is on hand at the Towergate office where your policy is held to assist you through the claims process. For a swifter resolution, claims are usually dealt with in-house. And for larger claims, we offer access to an independent Chartered Loss Adjuster, who will work at the scene of an incident – opposite the insurer’s loss adjuster – on your behalf.
We call this Towergate Assist.
In virtually every corner of the country, we are relied upon, not just for specialist insurance, but for business advice and charity fundraising too.
Since 2005, we have raised over £3.25 million for named projects at some of the nation’s favourite charities. That’s partly why we don’t spend big on advertising. We prefer to focus our energy on personal service, and our customers.
As a British success story: we’re at the heart of communities, with more than 100 offices nationwide. Many of our customers are local businesses. They tell us, consistently, that they value their Towergate connection.
We’re a partner to the Federation of Small Business and our relationships with industry give us insight into what sustains business success. We share that insight with our customers.
To build strong long-term relationships, we listen. Only when we have fully understood your business, and its needs, do we offer solutions…solutions we choose with care. It makes the world of risk a smaller, less daunting place.
Getting close to
our customers
Since 2005,
we have raised
over £3.25 million
for our charities.”
“
Doing good
At Towergate, we are committed to our customers. We regularly report on the national issues that could affect your business, from changing legislation through to health and safety news. Our newsletter is published on a bi-monthly basis. We also release special bulletins in response to breaking news.
What’s happening
n I agree to be contacted by Towergate Partnership Limited about offers and information relating to my insurance. Your privacy is important to us. Your details will not be forwarded to a third party. Read our full Privacy Policy for details.
Towergate Insurance is a trading name of Towergate Underwriting Group Limited. Registered in England No. 4043759.
Registered address: Towergate House, Eclipse Park, Sittingbourne Road, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3EN. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
John Charcol is a trading style of Towergate Financial (West) Ltd. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. There will be a minimum fee for our mortgage service of £450, of which £150 is payable when you apply, and we will retain the commission from the mortgage lender. Alternatively, you can choose the fee only option which is typically 0.65% of the amount borrowed. The precise amount will depend on your circumstances and mortgage loan amount, and will be discussed and agreed before you make a mortgage application.
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