Renewals are an opportunity to uncover new exposures and protect your client and your agency. Using a renewal questionnaire places responsibility on the client to disclose changes in their operations or lifestyle. If a client fails to respond and later suffers a loss tied to an undisclosed exposure, your documented outreach can become an element of your E&O defense.
Include language in your renewal questionnaire stating that coverage will continue as currently written if no response is received, and that it is the client's responsibility to report any changes. Pair this with a mix of targeted and open-ended questions to demonstrate a reasonable effort to identify exposures. Documented communication is what ultimately supports your defense.