I am thinking of setting myself up as a self-employed architectural assistant. As I am an RIBA part II qualified person but not a fully qualified architect, can I use the same PII procedures or is there insurance that has been designed specifically for non-architects?
Richard Brindley
Personal indemnity insurance policies and procedures are similar if you are partly qualified or are a fully qualified architect.
Only Arb registered or RIBA chartered practicing architects must have PII from their obligations under the Arb and RIBA codes of professional conduct, but it is advisable for others not bound by those codes to also have PI.
Most architects’ PII brokers will provide policies for part II-qualified practitioners.
For example, the RIBA Insurance Agency (www.architectspi.com) provides “start-up” PII polices known as RIBAGrad, but you would also need to be an RIBA graduate or associate member.