Can I Have A Service Dog In A No Pet Apartment? Will Aurora, CO Renters Insurance Cover Him?
Can I Have A Service Dog In A No Pet Apartment In Colorado?
Generally speaking, yes. There are a number of qualifying disabilities which allow you to have a service dog and it’s generally without regard to the pet policies of a landlord. You may want to reference both the Americans with Disabilities act and the Fair Housing Act. The FHA definition of “assistance animal” is rather more broad than the ADA definition. The FHA, broadly speaking, does not require that the animal be trained for a specific task, as long as they mitigate a specific disability.
Please note, however, an important caveat: In some cases, if there are breed restrictions in place, a landlord can and may deny you a service animal based on that restriction only. You’d be well advised to avoid selecting an assistance animal that’s of a breed commonly rejected by landlords. This is less of a problem for ADA animals, since they have to be trained for specific tasks, but if you’re using the FHA, you could claim that your Rottweiler is an assistance animal. You probably shouldn’t, because you run the risk of losing the FHA protections in some situations.
Just to be perfectly clear, overall the FHA is probably what will allow you to have a service dog in a no pet apartment, no matter where you live. The difference is in the type of animal – most landlords are going to be at least passingly familiar with the idea of service dogs and other ADA animals. They may be less familiar with the broader definition of assistance animals in the FHA.
Do I Need To Disclose My Service Animal To My Renters Insurance Company?
If you have renters insurance in Aurora and need a service animal, you need to disclose the animal to your renters insurance company. In many cases, this is simply a best practice – if your assistance animal is a kitten, your insurance company is highly unlikely to be concerned. If your assistance animal is a dog of any kind, you must disclose that fact to your renters insurance company.
First of all, the presence of any animal on the premises is a material change in risk. The insurance company could cancel you for not disclosing information that leads to a material change in risk. A service rat (We suggest you click through, it’s rather interesting and the logic is sound) is unlikely to cause you trouble. If, however, you get an assistance Pit Bull, you’re more likely to have problems. Some insurance companies want nothing to do with dogs of any kind on the premises. You want to find that out before you have a claim.
Will Aurora, CO Renters Insurance Cover Damage Caused By My Assistance Animal?
To the premises: No. Insurance is designed to cover “sudden and accidental” losses caused by perils named in the policy. Damage from a pet of any kind to the premises is not covered under any renters insurance policy.
To others: Probably. If we assume that you disclosed, and that the insurance company is fine with the presence of the animal (not a prohibited breed), and you took reasonable care to prevent the loss, your liability coverage can protect you. Again, please note that certain policies exclude all animal liability of any kind, so you’ll want to make sure to read the policy and any endorsements. If the animal is not a prohibited breed, and animal liability is not excluded, and you used reasonable care to prevent the loss, you can be covered under liability if the dog jumps on or bites and injures someone.
Generally speaking, this is not a large concern with service dogs, as they’re heavily trained for specific tasks and to be around the public. Since the FHA definition of assistance animal is more broad and doesn’t mandate that training (because it would mitigate the broader definition to some degree), you’ll want to make sure that an assistance dog is properly trained, leashed, etc. to reduce the risk of a loss.
You’ll find that you often can have a service dog or assistance animal in your apartment, and that your renters insurance in Aurora can cover a number of situations that could crop up. Disclosure is crucial, as are training and taking steps to mitigate the risk of a liability loss. We’ve gleaned this information from publicly available sources, and if you have a question about the legality of your landlord’s pet policies you should consult with a lawyer. If you have a question about renters insurance and how it can protect you and your service animal, call Effective Coverage. You can be covered in three minutes on the phone or sixty seconds online. Just call (800)892-4308 or click to get covered - whether you need Colorado renters insurance quotes online or coverage anywhere else!
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Photo Credit: GoodDog Autism GDAC-131 CC BY ND 2.0