As part of the management of your business, you will often need to provide proof of professional liability insurance. What is this professional RC certificate really for? How to get it? What information is required?
To help you in your efforts, we have prepared this article.
Professional liability: what is it?
The principle of civil liability is laid down by article 1240 of the civil code. Under this principle, any person (natural or legal) causing damage to others is under the obligation to repair it.
Professional civil liability is therefore engaged when a company causes damage to others.
The civil code states that the responsibility of a person can be engaged when three conditions are met:
- The damage: this can be bodily, material, or immaterial.
- The fault: it may be negligence, imprudence, breach of duty to advise, etc.
- The causal link: the fault must cause the damage. In the absence of a link between the two, the professional civil liability of the company is not engaged.
The professional civil liability of a company is engaged when it has caused damage to others. The term “other” is extremely broad. It can be a customer, a supplier, a partner, a subcontractor, or any other person not contractually bound to the company.
If its liability is engaged, the company will have to fully reimburse the damage suffered. In some cases, this compensation represents extremely large financial sums that can lead companies to bankruptcy. In order to avoid this kind of dramatic situation, companies must take out professional liability insurance.
RC pro insurance certificate: what is the use?
To cover itself in the event of questioning its professional civil liability, the company must take out professional civil liability insurance (RCP). As soon as you subscribe to your contract, you will receive a professional liability insurance certificate. This certificate allows you to prove your coverage.
Thanks to this insurance, the company will not have to directly compensate a victim in the event of damage. It is the insurer who will bear the financial consequences linked to the repair of such damage. As the insured, you will simply have to pay the deductible. That is to say, the part is not covered by your insurance company.
You may be asked for your professional liability insurance certificate by everyone you work with (customer, supplier, partner, subcontractor, etc.). Many of your partners will only agree to work with you if you are covered.
Professional civil liability insurance is optional, except for regulated professions and building professionals. However, given the number of risks to which companies are exposed, it is better to take out CPR insurance and obtain the certificate.
Professional civil insurance: what is the mandatory information?
The RCP insurance certificate must mention the following information:
- the guarantees are taken out (professional liability, operational liability, additional guarantees);
- the extent of your warranties;
- your contact details;
- the contact details of your insurer;
- the reference of the contract;
- the period of validity of the contract.
Regardless of its size, its turnover, its activity, the company may be required to provide this document.
How to quickly obtain a certificate of professional civil insurance?
If you have already taken out a contract, you can request your certificate from your insurer or your broker.
If you do not yet have a contract, be aware that all insurers offer RC pro but at very different prices. We, therefore, recommend that you compare the contracts.
There are two possible solutions for this:
- Either contact each insurer individually: you will then have to fill out a form for each of them, whether online, by telephone, or in an agency. In reality, this practice is very tedious.
- Either uses an online comparator: it’s free, without obligation, and easy to use.
Coover offers you its totally independent online comparator. This is the fastest way to obtain your insurance certificate since you can subscribe online and get your certificate directly.
Each year, you will receive your new, updated CPR certificate. In the event of loss or theft, you can ask your insurer for a copy of your certificate. The easiest way is to do it online from your insured space. You can then receive it by email, by post, or download it.
Request for RC Pro certificate: our free model
You can use this standard letter of attestation of professional civil liability or adapt it according to your situation.
Ten-year RC certificate for building professionals: what specificities?
Building professionals belong to a regulated body and must be covered by pro-civil liability insurance as well as ten-year civil liability.
Under the principle of ten-year civil liability, any builder is held liable in the event of damage to one of their works within 10 years of the date of completion of the work. This obligation concerns construction work and renovation work.
In order to avoid reimbursing only the damage suffered by the works on which they intervened, building professionals must take out ten-year insurance. It is then the insurer who will bear the financial consequences of such damage.
The ten-year insurance must be taken out before the start of a project. Craftsmen must present their ten-year insurance certificate before a construction site.
The insurance will protect both the builder, but also the client. The latter will thus be able to obtain a rapid refund in the event of damage.
Professional civil liability is included in the ten-year liability insurance. The RC Pro will appear in the guarantees appearing on the certificate of the building professionals.
The professional civil insurance certificate: the 6 key elements to remember
Being covered by professional indemnity insurance is essential for every company. Upon subscription, companies receive a certificate justifying their coverage in the event of damage. Here is everything you need to remember about this certificate:
- Professional civil liability affects absolutely every company regardless of its size, legal structure, turnover, sector of activity, etc.
- In order to cover themselves, it is strongly recommended that companies take out RC P insurance. The insurer will thus take charge of the reimbursement of damages.
- RC pro insurance is not compulsory except for regulated professions and building professionals.
- To prove their coverage and find customers, companies will have to present a professional civil liability certificate.
- The professional civil certificate is valid for 1 year. It can go from 01/01 to 31/12 or remain fixed on the subscription date.
- To quickly obtain a professional civil certificate, the best way is to do it online thanks to an insurance comparator.
