Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Pets?

Does homeowners insurance cover pets?

Pets are a huge part of the family, too. As a result, damages they cause to other people or their property may be covered by home insurance policies through liability coverage. This is the part of your insurance policy that applies if you're found to be liable for property or bodily injury damage to someone else. If you don't have pet-specific endorsements in your policy, an insurance company may not cover any damage caused by your pets while on your property.

A home insurance company might ask if you have a dog and what kind of dog it is. Insurance companies decide dog breeds are more likely to get hurt than other breeds. As a result, we now need to answer the next question: which pets are often excluded from home insurance?

Which pets aren't covered by home insurance?

The main reason pets aren't covered by insurance is because they risk the company. Certain dog breeds and types of animals, such as exotic pets, may only get limited liability or not get any harm at all. If your dog has a history of biting or being aggressive, it may not be covered by your home insurance.

Dog breeds that are often not covered by home insurance

History helps insurance companies classify certain breeds of dogs as "risky" or "dangerous," and they do this by looking at how many people have been hurt by them. It's usually not true to the dog's temperament or the description of the dog by the American Kennel Club. Even so, insurance companies have learned from history that these dogs are more likely to be involved in liability claims, most often dog bite claims.

It doesn't mean every insurance company will refuse to cover you because the breed is "dangerous." Some insurance companies don't take into account the breed of your dog when they figure out how much you'll pay for your policy. Some companies may not cover your dog's liability costs at all. People could sue you if your dog bites them. In this case, you wouldn't be covered if someone sued you.

These dog breeds can also raise the cost of homeowner's insurance. If you can afford to pay more for liability insurance for your pet, do so, even if it costs more. This is a lot less risky than not having insurance.

The following breeds of dogs may not be able to get homeowners insurance:

• German Shepherd
• Akita
• Alaskan Malamute Cane Corso
• Dobermans Pinscher
• Chow Chow Pinscher
• Great Dane
• Rhodesian Ridgeback
• Mastiff
• Pit Bull Terrier
• Rottweiler
• Siberian Husky
• Presa Canario
• Wolf hybrid

Owners of aggressive dog breeds may have to pay more for their home insurance.

If your dog is classified as "aggressive" or "restricted," you may have to pay more for home insurance. Some insurance companies are more friendly to dogs than others. They are more concerned about dogs that have bitten people before than about specific breeds of dogs. The following states do not allow insurers to exclude dogs from liability coverage: Michigan, Nevada, New York, and Pennsylvania. They also can't deny coverage entirely because of a dog's breed, and they can't deny coverage at all.

People who own "aggressive" dogs may not see much difference in their home insurance rates. The difference in the price is usually about 1%. Some types of insurance cover dog bites:

Many people who own pets might be wondering if their homeowners' policy includes coverage for dog bites, which is also called "dog bite liability." Your home or renters insurance policy may cover you if your dog bites someone. Your liability policy will likely pay for the injured person's medical bills and, if necessary, legal fees or other costs. This can vary based on where you live and which insurance company you have.

If you live in a different place, the blame for an accident may be additional. Like most things about insurance, laws vary from state to state. Some states only hold the person who owns the animal responsible if they knew it was dangerous (such as a bite history). The dog's owner is still liable even if the dog has a history of biting. It's also possible for some insurance companies to make you sign a waiver of coverage for certain breeds of animals that they think are dangerous. This is what we talked about above.

Dog-related injuries are becoming a more significant source of insurance claims all the time. Nearly $797 million was paid out in claims for dog bites in 2019. It's essential to ask an insurance agent if your homeowners' policy will cover dog bites.

If you have a lot of money or think your dog liability insurance doesn't go far enough, you might want to get an umbrella policy to protect you even more.