PCC vs indemnity insurance: what's the difference?

They solve different problems. A Professional Consultants Certificate is positive certification: a chartered surveyor inspects the property and signs to confirm it has been built to a satisfactory standard. Indemnity insurance is the opposite, it doesn't inspect or confirm anything; it's a policy that pays out if a specific named risk (commonly a missing Building Regulations or planning approval) is enforced against. One says 'this build is sound'; the other says 'if this particular problem bites, here's some money'.

Indemnity insurance is a sensible, cheap fix for an older, minor item that nobody intends to disturb. But where the property is a new build, conversion or has had major structural works, and especially where there's no structural warranty, a lender usually wants positive certification that the build meets standards, not just a policy covering an enforcement risk. That's what a PCC provides. If you're unsure which your lender needs, send us the details and we'll tell you.

Yes, and sometimes that's the right answer. A PCC certifies the build standard while an indemnity policy covers a specific residual risk (for example a discrete planning point). They don't conflict. We'll tell you honestly if your situation only needs one of them.

Up front, yes, a one-off premium is usually a few hundred pounds against £950 for a PCC. But cost isn't the deciding factor; suitability is. A cheap policy that the lender won't accept for your situation costs you the whole transaction. For a new build, conversion or major works, a PCC is frequently the only thing that actually satisfies the lender.

Generally, yes. Most indemnity policies are invalidated the moment you approach the local authority about the issue, because doing so increases the chance of enforcement. That's a key limitation, it means you can't pursue a regularisation certificate and rely on the indemnity at the same time. A PCC has no such restriction; it's independent certification, not a bet on enforcement.

It depends entirely on what the lender is worried about. For a missing approval on an old, minor alteration, indemnity insurance often clears it. For certification of a whole new build, conversion or major works with no warranty, a retrospective PCC is what's needed. Tell us what was built and we'll point you to the right route, even if that route isn't us.