Where to get an indemnity agreement?

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You can get an indemnity agreement through online legal template services, contract management platforms, or directly from a licensed attorney. Because an indemnity agreement shifts financial liability from one party to another, the method you choose should depend on the complexity and financial risk of your specific situation.

The most common ways to obtain an indemnity agreement include:

1. Online Legal Document Services

If you need a straightforward standalone document, online legal platforms offer customizable templates that you can download immediately.

2. Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) Platforms

If you run a business and regularly deal with vendors, clients, or independent contractors, CLM platforms provide standardized, pre-approved templates that integrate directly into your workflow.

  • Ironclad: Offers enterprise-level tools to build, review, and centrally store agreements with standard or comparative indemnity clauses.
  • PandaDoc: Provides standardized templates along with automated tracking to monitor obligation periods and renewal dates.

3. Hiring a Business Attorney

For high-stakes transactions—such as commercial real estate leases, mergers and acquisitions, complex construction projects, or intellectual property licensing—it is best to hire a local business attorney. Vague or overly broad indemnity clauses can be thrown out by a court. A lawyer will ensure the wording complies with your specific state laws and accurately covers your exact liability caps and scope.

Do you need a standalone agreement or an embedded clause?

Before downloading a template, determine how the language will be used:

  • Embedded Clause: Most businesses do not use a separate document. Instead, they embed an indemnification clause into a larger contract, such as a standard Service Agreement, Vendor Contract, or Employment Agreement.
  • Standalone Agreement: Used when the promise to indemnify is the primary focus of the arrangement, such as when granting public access to private land, protecting corporate directors/officers, or securing a high-value surety bond.

Where can I get an indemnity form?

You can get a free customizable indemnity form template directly from legal and document platforms like Docusign Indemnity Agreement, PandaDoc Indemnity Agreement Template, or fillable options on DocHub Indemnity Form.

📋 Where to Find Forms

  • Online Templates: Docusign or PandaDoc for e-signing.
  • Legal Builders: Rocket Lawyer or LawDepot for guided questionnaires.
  • Specific Institutions: Banks, local government offices, or medical providers if you need a specialized institutional form.

⚠️ Important Considerations

  • Jurisdiction: Laws vary by state and country.
  • Scope: Ensure the liabilities covered match your exact use case.
  • Legal Review: Consult an attorney for high-value or high-risk agreements.

What are the three main types of indemnity agreements?

The three main levels or types of express indemnity agreements (often used in construction and commercial contracts) are broad form, intermediate form, and limited form.

1. Broad Form Indemnity

  • What it means: One party (the indemnitor) agrees to cover all losses and liabilities, even if the protected party (the indemnitee) is completely (100%) at fault.
  • Risk level: Extremely high for the party promising the indemnity.
  • Enforceability: Many states and jurisdictions ban broad form indemnity in construction and other contracts because it goes against public policy.

2. Intermediate Form Indemnity

  • What it means: The indemnitor covers losses caused by their own actions, joint actions, or third parties, but they do not cover losses caused solely by the indemnitee's negligence.
  • Risk level: Moderate.
  • Enforceability: Widely used and generally permitted in industries like construction, oil and gas, and manufacturing where risks are shared.

3. Limited Form Indemnity

  • What it means: Each party takes responsibility only for losses caused directly by their own individual fault or negligence.
  • Risk level: Low and balanced for both sides.
  • Enforceability: Fully enforceable in almost all jurisdictions, commonly found in standard service and consulting agreements.

Where can I buy an indemnity policy?

You can get professional indemnity insurance directly through providers like Hiscox UK or AXA UK, or compare options on Compare the Market.

The right place to get indemnity insurance depends heavily on the specific type of coverage you need:

Professional Indemnity Insurance (For Businesses & Freelancers)

  • Direct Insurers: Companies like Hiscox UK, AXA UK, and Direct Line for Business let you get instant quotes and buy policies online.
  • Comparison Sites: Platforms like Compare the Market help you review quotes across multiple providers.
  • Commercial Brokers: Specialized UK brokers (such as Get Indemnity, Juno Indemnity, or Premier Insurance Services) can negotiate bespoke coverage for complex or high-risk industries.

Legal / Property Indemnity Insurance (For Property Buyers & Sellers)

  • Conveyancing Solicitors: Usually arranged by your solicitor during a property transaction to cover title defects or missing planning permissions.
  • Specialist Online Portals: Platforms like My Legal Indemnity Shop or Countrywide Legal Indemnities provide quick quotes for legal defects and property risks.

Does an indemnity agreement need to be notarized?

An indemnity agreement does not always need to be notarized to be legally valid, but notarization is often recommended.

Legal Requirements

  • General Rule: Most jurisdictions do not require notarization for an indemnity agreement to be binding. A written agreement signed and dated by both parties is usually enforceable on its own.
  • Exceptions: Specific situations or government filings may require notarization depending on local laws or the specific context of the transaction (such as certain surety bonds or affidavits).

Benefits of Notarization

  • Identity Verification: A notary public confirms the identities of the people signing the document.
  • Prevents Fraud: It ensures that the parties sign the agreement willingly and knowingly, reducing the chance of forgery.
  • Stronger Evidence: Notarized documents are harder to challenge in court during a legal dispute.

What is Indemnification | Indemnification Clauses and Indemnity Explained

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How do I get an indemnity form?

You can obtain an indemnity form by requesting it directly from the specific institution, organization, or service provider that requires it (such as your bank, employer, or event organizer), or by downloading a customizable template from online legal and form resources like Jotform or WPForms.

Steps to Get and Complete an Indemnity Form

  • Identify the Source: Contact the organization (bank, school, employer, or service provider) requesting the protection. Most financial institutions and corporate bodies have standard, pre-approved indemnity forms tailored to their specific policies.
  • Check Online Portals: Visit the official website or mobile app of the issuing organization to see if the document is available in their resource or download center.
  • Use a Legal Template: If you need to draft one yourself for a private agreement, business deal, or event, use trusted legal document providers to generate a compliant hold-harmless or indemnity agreement.
  • Provide Required Information: Ensure you include the correct legal names, contact details of both parties, the precise scope of the liability being covered, and the effective dates.
  • Sign and Verify: Sign and date the document. Some institutions may require a witness, notary public, or a Medallion Signature Guarantee to make the form legally valid.

Who provides a letter of indemnity?

A Letter of Indemnity (LOI) is typically provided or issued by a third-party institution, such as a bank or an insurance company, or directly by one of the contracting parties (like a shipper or employer) depending on the context of the transaction.

Who Issues or Provides an LOI?

  • Financial Institutions (Banks): Banks frequently issue LOIs in international trade and shipping when cargo needs to be released without an original bill of lading.
  • Insurance Companies: Insurers provide LOIs or back them to cover professional liabilities, contractor risks, or lost physical assets like stock certificates.
  • Parties to a Contract: In shipping or business agreements, the party requesting a non-standard action—such as a shipper asking a carrier to deliver goods without official paperwork—will often write and sign the LOI to protect the other party from resulting liabilities.
  • Employers / Corporations: Companies may provide a letter of indemnity to corporate officers or employees to protect them from personal financial loss or legal expenses arising from their official duties.

Can you give me an example of an indemnity contract?

An indemnity contract is a legal promise where one party agrees to pay for the losses or damages of another party. You can view a basic Indemnification Agreement Template to see how these provisions are structured in standard business documents.

Real-World Example

Imagine a city rents a public park to a local organizer for a weekend music festival.

  • The Risk: A visitor trips over a loose cable at the festival and sues the city for medical bills.
  • The Indemnity Clause: The rental contract states that the event organizer must indemnify and hold harmless the city from any third-party claims arising from the festival.
  • The Result: Even though the city owns the park, the organizer must pay for the legal defense and any money awarded in the lawsuit.

Sample Indemnity Clause Wording

"The Contractor agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Client from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, and expenses, including attorney fees, arising out of the Contractor's work or performance under this Agreement."

What is the purpose of an indemnity agreement?

The primary purpose of an indemnity agreement is to shift financial responsibility and allocate risk for potential losses, damages, or legal liabilities from one party to another before a dispute occurs.

Key Purposes and Functions

  • Risk Transfer: Moves the financial burden of unexpected costs—such as third-party lawsuits, legal fees, or settlements—away from the protected party (the indemnitee) and onto the assuming party (the indemnitor).
  • Dispute Prevention: Clarifies ahead of time who pays if something goes wrong, reducing ambiguity and conflict during business relationships or projects.
  • Financial Protection: Acts like a private insurance policy by ensuring that an innocent party is not left paying for someone else's mistake, breach of contract, or negligence.

Common Applications

  • Business Contracts: Used in service, consulting, and vendor agreements to handle third-party claims or intellectual property challenges.
  • Commercial Real Estate: Found in leases to protect property owners from accident or injury claims occurring on the rented premises.
  • Construction: Used to assign responsibility if a contractor's work or actions cause property damage or injury to neighbors and outsiders.

Can you provide an example of an indemnity agreement?

An Indemnity Agreement Template is a legal contract where one party agrees to pay for the losses or damages of another party.

Sample Indemnity Clause

Here is a simple example of an indemnity clause you can use in a contract:

"The Indemnitor (the person giving the protection) agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Indemnitee (the person being protected) from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including legal fees) arising out of or resulting from the Indemnitor's work, actions, or breach of this contract."

Key Parts of the Agreement

  • Indemnitor: The person or business who pays for the loss.
  • Indemnitee: The person or business who is protected from the loss.
  • The Trigger: The specific event or fault that forces the indemnitor to pay.