Homeowner Insurance and Dog Bites: What You Should Know

Posted on: June 25, 2015 by Aegis Security Insurance

If you are a dog owner, or even a homeowner who plans on owning a dog someday, this blog post is one you must read. Aside from understanding the fact that we live in a litigious society and dog bites often result in lawsuits, it’s imperative to have the right Specialty Insurance coverage to protect you financially should your pet cause harm to another.

A common, and costly, misconception that many dog owners or potential dog owners have is that any homeowner insurance policy will cover a dog bite. While it is true that some insurance companies will restrict certain breeds, if your homeowner insurance policy does allow your dog; let’s say they are a Labrador, that doesn’t automatically mean they will offer a payout should your dog bite a person.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, in 2012 there were approximately 16,500 homeowners insurance claims that involved dog bites. Even if a standard homeowner insurance policy does cover this, many will actually only cover the first incident in which an animal causes injury. An individual that’s been injured by your dog is entitled to bring a legal claim against you to recover medical and emotional damages, regardless of whether or not you have an insurance policy. This means you are better off having the right insurance coverage than not.

This is where Aegis Security Insurance Company comes in. Our homeowner product protects customers that, in general, standard markets will not even consider. We understand that many of our applicants own a dog breed that would otherwise deem their homeowner risk ineligible, however Aegis Security offers special limitations or exclusions designed to reduce these exposures, while maintaining a risk’s eligibility. For more information about our Specialty Homeowners Insurance Coverage, please contact us today at 855.790.0550.

Posted in: blog Specialty Home Insurance

Tagged: Breed Restrictions Dog Bites Homeowner homeowners Insurance specialty