You appoint the new agent first, then notify your counterparty in accordance with the agreement, so there is never a gap in cover. Most clauses allow a change provided a successor in England and Wales is appointed and notified, sometimes with the counterparty's consent. We handle switches to us regularly, including from agents that have ceased trading.
Why companies switch
The common triggers are price, an agent that has become slow or unresponsive, consolidation of scattered appointments with one provider, and, more often than you might expect, an agent that has closed, moved or been absorbed, leaving the clause pointing at an address where nobody is opening the post. Whatever the reason, the mechanics are the same and the golden rule is sequence: new cover in place before old cover ends.
The contractual mechanism
Check the service of process clause. Typically it obliges you to maintain an agent throughout the term and permits replacement by appointing another agent in England and Wales and notifying the other parties, occasionally requiring their consent or an agent of recognised standing. Your solicitors confirm the exact requirements; we then issue our letter of appointment, you serve the notice, and the switch completes with a clean paper trail for the file.
What we do to make it painless
Tell us the documents covered and the incumbent's details, and we will structure the replacement, issue letters naming each agreement, and where helpful supply wording for the counterparty notification for your solicitors to settle. Consolidating several agreements with us costs from £125 per year plus £30 for a second document and £60 for three or more, usually well below the total of separate legacy fees. Start at the Appoint Us Now page.