Being a pet owner is wonderful. You know your playful pup or curious cat would never harm anyone intentionally. However, accidents do occur.
What would happen, from a financial standpoint if your pet bit someone who was visiting your home? Let us discuss how home insurance and pets go hand in hand.
Homeowner’s Insurance Has Your Back 
Often, a standard homeowner’s policy will cover expenses if your common household pet injures a visitor.
The liability coverage of a home policy is usually plenty to cover the medical expenses that would arise from a pet bite. However, there are exceptions. One thing to keep in mind is that your insurance will usually only cover the first incident of biting from a pet. So if you have to file a claim, there may be a need for alternate arrangements regarding your pet in the future.
Get the Details
Some home insurance companies will not cover injuries from certain breeds of pets. Many policies frequently exclude high-risk breeds which may pose higher risks to visitors. They also commonly exclude rare or uncommon household pets. These may include exotic pets like wild animals, snakes or potentially harmful species.
Therefore, it is important to get the details of your policy before you get a pet. Sometimes, insurers offer additional pet insurance policies associated specifically with high-risk animals. Make sure you have the coverage you need for your particular pet.
Take Non-Insurance Precautions
Insurance is a great thing if an unavoidable accident occurs. However, as a pet owner, you must do your due diligence to ensure your pet doesn’t harm anyone who may come to your home. Your home insurer may deny a pet claim if it finds that you did not take steps to mitigate the risks you pet poses. Some necessary steps could include installing signage warning of a potentially aggressive dog or locking your animals away from visitors.
While homeowner’s insurance will be more than sufficient for most pet owners, if you are overly concerned about your pet causing harm to someone, you may want to look at other options (such as animal insurance.) Checking out these extra options could protect you from serious financial harm if the worst-case situation did occur.
We've got you covered. We can help you get a homeowners insurance policy to meet your needs. Call us for a fast, free quote.