Pet damage home insurance

If you have a family pet, you’ll know how important it is to have pet insurance that can cover things like injuries, at home and elsewhere. But, what if your furry friend chews up your favourite cushion, or gets claw marks in your new chairs? 

This is where home contents insurance comes into the picture. Maybe you already have it, or maybe you’re thinking about taking a policy out. Whatever the case, if you have a pet, you might be wondering if it’ll cover against accidental pet damage. 

This guide explains how to insure your home against accidental damage caused by pets, as well as if your home is damaged by other animals. We’ll also share tips to help reduce the chance of needing to make a claim. Let’s take a look.

What is pet damage home insurance?

Home contents insurance usually offers ‘accidental damage’ cover. This essentially covers accidental damage in the home.

Generally, accidental damage home insurance covers one-off instances caused by an individual. For example, accidentally knocking your TV off the stand, dropping a vase, or spilling red wine on the carpet.

After making a claim, your insurer would then replace or repair the damaged item. But, there are many things that accidental damage cover excludes.

Does accidental damage insurance include damage caused by my pets?

This will depend on your insurance provider.

There may be some providers who will accept certain pet damage claims under their accidental damage policy. For example, if an item of sentimental value gets smashed because your pet got overly-excited and knocked it over.

But for the most part, pets’ behaviour can be unpredictable. So, insurers are unlikely to insure your home against accidental pet damage. They’re also unable to assess how well your pet has been trained, so the risk of insuring your home is difficult to clearly gauge.

Many providers exclude pet damage caused by:

• Scratching

• Chewing

• Vomiting

• Fouling

• Tearing

But, you might be able to find pet insurance that can offer protection if your pet accidentally causes damage to another person’s property. For example, if your dog knocks over an expensive vase while visiting a friends’ house. In this situation, your accidental damage pet insurance can cover the cost of a repair or replacement.

Usually, this type of cover comes as an extra premium, and can have exclusions, so it might not be worth it. For example, if your dog relieves itself on someone else’s sofa, accidental damage is unlikely to be covered by insurers.

If you’re thinking about paying extra for accidental damage on top of your standard home insurance, read over the terms and conditions of your policy. That way, you'll know what is and isn’t covered.

Helpful hint: Accidental injury caused by your dog or cat to another person may not be covered by accidental damage insurance.

You'll need third-party liability cover for that. Usually, this is included in most standard pet insurance policies. But, take a look at the policy wording to be sure.

Home insurance damage caused by other animals

Accidental damage home insurance cover is likely to protect you against uninvited animals causing damage. For example, if the next door neighbour’s cat sneaks in through a window and knocks over a vase. In this scenario, you should be able to make a claim under your accidental damage contents insurance.

If you have buildings insurance, you might be covered against things like a bird flying into a window and cracking it. This is because buildings insurance covers the property rather than the contents inside it.

Remember, all of these aspects may not be covered under every accidental damage policy, and could come at an extra fee that can be expensive. So, be sure to double check the terms of the policy first.

Helpful hint: Many people set aside money each month in case of accidental damage caused by their pets.

Tips to avoid accidental pet damage home insurance claims

Taking the time and effort to properly train your pets is the best way to help prevent accidental damage at home:

• Use repellent spray: Anti-chew sprays usually taste bitter, and are great ways to keep your dog or cat from chewing things they shouldn’t.

• Make sure you exercise and play with your pets: Cats and dogs can get restless and bored. So, you should make sure you regularly exercise them, play games with them, and give them toys. This will help to keep them stimulated and happy.

• Consider pet training: For dogs, training classes can help to teach your canine certain positive behaviours that can lower the chance of accidental damage in the home.
  

But, accidents can always happen, and there might be some insurers who could agree to protect your home against pet damage.

So, if you’re thinking of taking out a home contents insurance policy through us, make sure to check the policy wordings to know what you’re getting.

You should be able to find out if the insurer includes or excludes accidental damage caused by pets in the ‘accidental damage’ section.

Read more …

• Home insurance claims - Know what to do with Uswitch.com

• Home insurance - Do I need pet insurance?

• What is home insurance?