There must be a million landlords out there who think that a mythical product exists, because we frequently get asked,
Can I get renters insurance for pet damage? My landlord is telling me I need to have insurance in case my dog tears up the apartment. He won’t, of course, he’s eight whole pounds of fluffy love machine, but they still want me to have it. How do I get insurance against damage by pets?
Well, there’s a direct answer here, and your landlord won’t like it, but there’s a reason for that. Let’s take a look at an Albany, NY Renters Insurance policy and see what coverage might look like for that sort of situation. Just like everything else, there is a distinct reason that renters insurance coverage exists in the way that it does for this particular situation.
Why Can’t I Get Renters Insurance For Pet Damage?
Your landlord is asking for a product that basically doesn’t exist, to be honest. That’s not what you want to hear, and that’s not what your landlord wants to hear, but it’s largely true. Somewhere out there, there probably is some product which covers pet damage, but it’s definitely not renters insurance! Why would renters insurance exclude pet damage to the residence premises? There are actually two reasons.
The first is that you are covered for a specific set of risks with regards to liability for damage to the residence premises. Those include things like fire, accidental water damage, smoke, and explosion. Does renters insurance cover punching holes in the wall? If you trash your apartment will renters insurance pay? These are actual questions we’ve been asked, and the answer is no, of course. Even if we set aside that the damage is intentional and that you didn’t have to cause the damage with regard to those two questions, they’re still not things that the policy covers you for as far as liability for the premises. That’s out of pocket for you.
Additionally, renters insurance for pet damage isn’t something you can find because you’re required to mitigate a loss as soon as you know there is one, and you’re also supposed to prevent losses from occurring to the best of your ability. You know or should know that your dog chewed the carpet once. That’s a small repair that you could probably take care of by yourself or that could be paid for out of your deposit.
It’s your responsibility to stop the damage from getting worse and to prevent it from happening again. That means you need to make sure the dog doesn’t continue to chew on the carpet. If you don’t do that, you’re allowing the damage to increase instead of mitigating it. The insurance won’t pay for something you knew was happening and just couldn’t be bothered to prevent.
Those are the biggest reasons that renters insurance for pet damage is not available.
Can I get renters insurance for pet damage?
Is There Separate Insurance For Pet Damage?
There probably is such a product out there, somewhere. We’re not familiar with any particular insurance for pet damage that we could point you towards, because it’s comparatively rare and if the coverage can be found it’s likely to be quite limited in what it covers, and quite broad with regard to your own duty to mitigate and other responsibilities under the policy.
Why Do Landlords Ask For Pet Damage Renters Insurance?
Landlords are not insurance agents. They often aren’t familiar with the details of what a policy covers. What they want is liability coverage in case you start a fire in their building, which renters insurance covers. They also want to be indemnified against a loss for damage from the pet. That’s not part of your policy.
An added bonus of requiring renters insurance for people with pets is that if the animal was to bite or otherwise injure someone, both you and the landlord would likely be named in that lawsuit. The landlord wants to make sure you have coverage, including coverage for defense, in case that should happen so that they’re not the only ones responding to that claim. It’s their property, but your pet, so they want you to be able to take responsibility if some third party suffers an injury.
Albany, NY Renters Insurance doesn’t cover pet damage, but it can cover injuries caused by a pet, for example. It’s a common requirement, and you should make sure you disclose exactly what kind of pet you have when you buy the insurance policy, because renters insurance cancellation for material misrepresentation is a clear and present danger if you do otherwise. If that happened, you could be without coverage and without defense, so honesty about the pet is crucial.
If I Can’t Get Renters Insurance For Pet Damage, How Can I Make My Landlord Happy?
You could offer an extra deposit to cover the risk of pet damage. You could mention that your pet has been trained and prove that with whatever documentation the trainer gave you. You could seek out landlords who are pet-friendly. Once you’ve clarified with them that you can cover the animal liability but not pet damage, they may well be just fine with that. It may even be that’s what they really wanted, it just wasn’t stated clearly.
You’ll find that you won’t have a hard time getting renters insurance. It takes about sixty seconds online to get covered if you click above, and the average renters insurance policy cost in New York is about fifteen dollars a month. That’s not only affordable, but downright cheap. The coverage extends to a variety of situations you might not expect, so it’s important to have from the very beginning.
Besides, your landlord wants you to have it. That’s a good reason to be covered, as well. Renters insurance lease compliance is important because that’s what allows you to continue living there by having renters insurance. Otherwise, it’s a problematic lease violation.
Fortunately, it’s easy to get renters insurance in Albany. All you have to do is call (800)892-4308 or click to get covered - whether you need Albany renters insurance quotes online or coverage anywhere else!
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