Animal liability insurance?

Question

Is it a requirement to have animal liability coverage if allowing dogs and cats in the rental or is that already covered in the home insurance policy?  Is it breed specific?  If their renters insurance covers their pets does the landlord need to have it added as well? Only 1 insurance company I’ve contacted has mentioned this coverage and I am not familiar with it.

Emily Blizzard · Answer

Insurance agent here!

Insurance policies do not automatically come with animal liability coverage and many exclude this coverage if it's a certain breed. If you're going to allow renters to have pets, you should make sure it's an allowed breed by the insurance company and have animal liability added to your policy. You will also need to make sure they don't have a bite history. Also, many renters policies exclude certain breeds, don’t cover animal-related damages to the property itself, or limit coverage to third-party injuries only. That means if a tenant’s pet bites someone or causes damage and their insurance denies the claim, you could still be held liable as the property owner.

That’s why it’s smart to protect yourself with the right landlord or liability policy — something designed to back you up no matter what’s (literally) barking up your tree. If you'd like a quote with this coverage, I'd be happy to get you some no obligation quotes! Or simply review your policy to see if you have the coverage.

-Emily Blizzard

813-771-5959

Edward Segaar · Answer

I have, she’s the one that brought it up.  This is my second rental and the first one I worked with a different broker who didn’t mention anything about it.