

According to the Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report 2019 survey data, 46% of renters live with pets - and 48% list allowing pets as a requirement for their next rental. So much, in fact, that many pet owners won’t even consider a rental property that isn’t pet friendly.
Property general liability and pet weight limit how to#
How to add a pet addendum to your lease agreement.Make sure your insurance allows pets in rentals.If it’s not covered, you may be able to buy additional coverage or get an animal liability policy. There is a good chance your renters insurance offers liability coverage for your pet, but you’ll want to check the policy before buying it. You may discover that you need to increase your liability insurance coverage to be fully covered.Īnd if the pet isn’t covered? You may want to buy “exotic pet insurance” or animal liability insurance, which would be separate from your homeowners insurance policy. Be sure to ask your agent for specifics on what exotic pets are covered. Some exotic pets may be covered under your home insurance policy. If the pet is banned in your state, odds are good insurance won’t cover it.īut what about more common exotic pets like ferrets or pythons? Thirteen states have partial bans on exotic pets, and 14 allow it with a permit or license. Are exotic pets covered under a homeowners insurance policy?Ĭurrently, 20 states have a comprehensive ban on exotic pets, which tends to be any animal that is considered dangerous and normally in a zoo. “Insurance coverage will usually turn on an analysis of liability under these different state laws, so it’s important to understand the nuances of pet liability laws in your state,” Sawan says.Ĭheck with your insurer to determine precisely what pet-related injuries or damages are covered under your homeowners policy. There is also a chance that your home insurance company will decide the dog is too high a risk and will exclude the dog from future coverage entirely. However, you can expect a premium increase at the next renewal. If the damage is within your homeowners liability coverage limits, you will most likely be covered. If your pet injures someone or their property and a lawsuit results, you could be on the hook for thousands of dollars. The type of coverage that will apply to a dog bite depends on the specific language of the insurance policy,” Sawan says. These types of injuries disproportionately affect children, and they can be rather severe. “The most common injury we see involving pets are dog bites. Sawan, an insurance and personal injury lawyer at Sawan & Sawan, says that his firm often deals with dog-related insurance matters. In 2021, 17,597 dog bite insurance claims were filed, according to the Insurance Information Institute.ĭennis E. The most common pet-related home insurance claim is for dog bite injuries. Cane Corso (a popular type of mastiff, but all mastiffs are on this list).The following companies have no restrictions on dog breeds:įor other homeowners insurance companies, below are some of the commonly excluded breeds: Only a few companies have breed exclusions and not all of them exclude the same breeds. Additionally, if your dog has a bite history, your insurance company may deny you coverage. Unfortunately, some home insurance companies have exclusions for specific breeds.

Does homeowners insurance exclude any pets from coverage? Home insurance doesn’t cover injuries to your pet. So, even if you have a $300,000 liability limit, you may only have a $25,000 limit for pet-related damages. Some home insurance policies impose lower limits of coverage for damage or injuries caused by pets. If you have an umbrella policy, your liability coverage limits will be much higher as umbrella policies are typically sold at amounts between $1 million and $10 million.Įxpert tip: Even if you have an umbrella policy, be sure to check with your insurance company and review your policy for limits on injuries caused by animals. The coverage available will be determined by your home insurance liability coverage limits, usually between $100,000 and $300,000, and your medical payment coverage limits, generally between $1,000 and $5,000. The critical distinction here is that there is no specific pet insurance coverage in a homeowners insurance policy. If your pet causes damage to someone or their property, the liability and medical payments portion of your homeowners policy will kick in for coverage, depending on the state and type of pet. Are exotic pets covered under a homeowners insurance policy?Īre pets covered under homeowners insurance?.Does homeowners insurance exclude any pets from coverage?.Are pets covered under homeowners insurance?.
