Homeowner’s insurance provides a safety net when certain accidents happen on your property, but insurance policies do not cover all incidents. Rather, policies define what is and is not covered. 1 area to think about is policy for pet attacks. While it may seem unlikely that your pet will strike somebody, insurance companies pay more than $300 million annually for dog bite claims, based on California lawyer David Beeson. To fight the growth of claims in the last several years, many insurance companies are placing language into insurance policies that limit coverage for pet attacks.
Banned Pets
Many homeowner insurance coverages rigorously prohibit homeowners from possessing certain breeds of dogs. These strains are prohibited as they’re deemed likely to strike and can lead to harm, which often results in insurance claims and suits. By excluding these pets from policy, insurances avoid liability if an attack occur. In exchange for agreeing with the law, homeowners receive better rates. Dog breeds often not permitted by insurance policies include the Doberman pinscher, Alaskan malamute, German shepherd, bull terrier, pit bull, Rottweiler and Siberian husky.
Dog Bite Coverage
Insurance policies define what is covered should a dog attack happen. Insurance Services Office defines the insured since you and other residents of your family who are relatives or are under 21 years of age and care of you or a relative. Essentially, no policy is offered to residents 21 or older who aren’t linked to the insured person or persons. No coverage is provided for visitors. For policy to be supplied, the pet must be owned by the insured and cannot be used for a business purpose. Considering that the dog is possessed by the insured, strikes are insured when they occur to the insured parties or to anybody with custody of their dog. This includes a pet sitter. Coverage provides benefits like hospital expenditure reimbursement. The quantity of coverage varies from 1 policy to another. Some cities require evidence of dog bite policy on your homeowner insurance policy as a condition of owning certain breeds of dogs.
Coverage Limits
When insurers offer coverage for pets, they often define the quantity of coverage provided for pet strikes. Normally, the figure is just for pet attacks. Based on California lawyer Kenneth Phillips, the quantity needed varies and is determined by the extent of harm and other damage that would happen if your dog attacked someone. Phillips recommends up to $300,000 of coverage for all owners of big dogs and all dogs around the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s listing of biting dogs and most 25 breeds recognized by the CDC as having killed someone via an attack (see Resources). For dogs that do not fall into those categories, Phillips says, policy could be lower but should not be less than $100,000.
