Should I Buy Pet Liability Insurance for My Home??

Should I Buy Pet Liability Insurance for My Home?

When you buy homeowners insurance, you will want to include liability insurance within your policy. It is there to help you compensate other parties who sustain harm on your property because of your mistakes or negligence. Sometimes, these mistakes occur not because of something you did, but something caused by a member of your family with four legs. 

Having a pet in your home is a liability, no matter how well you train this beloved member of the family. Therefore, should they harm others, then it might be your responsibility to pay for the damage. For help from your insurance policy, you will need to make sure you have pet liability coverage in place. 

What is pet liability insurance? 

Pets are still animals, regardless of how obedient they might be. Therefore, at times, their instincts might take over, and they might physically harm someone else or damage their property. Because you are the pet’s owner, you must assume liability for the pet’s actions. You knew when you brought your pet home that there was a chance that it could harm someone, even if it did not do so maliciously. 

If you worry about how to pay for these losses when they occur, then the best starting point is a pet liability insurance policy. Should your pet harm someone else, that person could hold you responsible, and some might even try to sue you for the damage done. Your pet liability insurance can step in under the circumstances to pay for the legal fees and eventual settlement that might result. 

How does this coverage work? 

Suppose that one day a neighbor stops by your house. Generally, your dog or cat is very friendly. However, today, when your friend goes to pet the animal, they bite, and the bite is severe enough to require this person to need medical attention. As a result, your neighbor might sue you because they allege you could have done more to restrain the pet. 

In this situation, your pet liability insurance might pay to help you repay the injured neighbor for their medical costs, and help you defend yourself against the lawsuit. If you have a pet in your home, then you will always benefit from adding this coverage to your home insurance. In some cases, your policy will automatically include this benefit, while in others you will need to add it as a coverage endorsement. 

Please note, these policies will have their limits. They will only supply coverage up to their limits, and some policies will exclude certain so-called dangerous breeds from coverage. Additionally, these policies will never cover exotic pets. Therefore, it is imperative that you work with your agent to choose the pet liability benefits that are best for you in all circumstances.