Home and Auto Insurance in Florida

Why Does My Dog Matter For My Home Insurance?

When determining the best company and rate for a homeowner insurance policy, one of the questions we ask is, “do you have any pets or animals?”

Enough people hesitate or question the validity of this question that we thought it would be good to explain.

Other than homes and their contents, one of the key coverages with a Home Insurance policy is Liability. Basically, when someone is injured on your property or is hurt as a result of something you could be found personally liable, your Liability coverage will generally be your first line of defense.

One of the most common liability situations is dog liability. Because of this, many companies (especially in Florida) have a standard exclusion for animal liability and/or they want to distance themselves even further by restricting certain breeds of dogs to avoid any chance of having to pay a large claim as a result.

The good news is that there are many options, but it’s important to be honest from the start to allow us to find the right option without risking a cancellation or a claim denial later if they determine you had an ineligible dog breed.

In terms of coverage options for animal liability, most companies offer an endorsement for a limited number of dog breeds. If you have a dog breed that is included on a company’s ineligible breed list, there are still options with stand-alone animal liability policies.

The important this is simply to be open and honest with any (all) of the breeds that may be in your dog, as you don’t want to think you have coverage to find out later than it was never in place because of the dog breed you didn’t mention.

If you have any questions or want to talk through your specific situation, just let us know, and we’re happy to help.

Joel Meek

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