- AT A GLANCE
Homeowners insurance typically does not cover damage your pet does to your personal property or your dwelling. - Liability coverage may help cover damage your pet does to another person’s property.
WHAT TYPE OF PET DAMAGE IS COVERED BY MY INSURANCE?
While homeowners insurance may help protect your home and its contents from certain risks, it typically provides limited coverage for pet damage. For instance:
Personal Property Coverage
Dwelling and Other Structures Coverage
Similarly, most homeowners insurance policies exclude coverage for damage caused by a pet or domestic animal (as well as insects and rodents) to structures on your property, such as your house or fence. Should your dog chew through a wall or your mischievous goat break the door to your barn, your homeowner’s insurance is not likely to cover the cost of repairs.
Liability Coverage
The liability protection with most standard homeowners policies may provide coverage if a pet damages someone else’s property, according to the Insurance Information Institute. If your horse breaks the neighbor’s fence or your puppy chews a friend’s dining room table, the liability coverage in your homeowner’s insurance policy may help cover the cost of repairs or replacements. Liability coverage may also extend to damage to someone else’s property caused by domestic animals such as a goat, pig, cow, or chicken, assuming the animal is a pet and/or used for hobby purposes (business farming would not be included). But again, there would probably be no coverage for pet damage to your own belongings.
