When offering pet sitting services, ensuring you have adequate insurance is paramount to protecting yourself, your clients, and the animals under your care. This guide breaks down the essential components of pet sitter insurance, clarifying the terms and coverage limits you can expect. Understanding these details will help you confidently select a policy that meets your business needs and provides peace of mind.
Occurrence vs. Aggregate Limits
Pet sitter insurance policies typically outline coverage under two main limit structures: Occurrence and Aggregate.
Occurrence Limits
The occurrence limit refers to the maximum amount an insurance company will pay for a single, isolated claim or loss. This means that for any one incident where you are found liable, there’s a cap on the payout.
- Liability: The standard occurrence limit for bodily injury or property damage to others is $1,000,000.
- Loss to Pets: Coverage for injuries or loss of pets under your care is $15,000 per occurrence.
- Personal Property: If you opt for coverage for damage to your clients’ personal property (other than pets), the limit is $10,000 per occurrence.
Aggregate Limits
The aggregate limit represents the total maximum amount the insurer will pay for all claims filed during the entire policy period, which is typically one year. This acts as an overall ceiling for the policy’s payouts.
- Liability: The aggregate limit for bodily injury or property damage is $2,000,000.
- Loss to Pets: The total payout for pet-related losses throughout the policy year is capped at $30,000.
- Personal Property: For damage to clients’ personal property, the aggregate limit, if purchased, rises to $25,000.
Understanding Key Definitions
To fully grasp your insurance policy, it’s crucial to understand the specific definitions used:
Bodily Injury
This broadly covers physical harm, sickness, or disease sustained by any person, including death, resulting from an incident at any time. Bodily injury liability coverage is designed to protect you financially if you inadvertently cause injury to another individual.
Property Damage
Property damage refers to the physical harm to tangible property. This includes any resulting loss of the property’s use. Coverage applies when property is physically damaged or when its use is lost even without physical damage. Property damage liability covers damage you cause to the property of others. However, it’s important to note a common exclusion for property that is in your “care, custody, and control.” This is precisely why specialized coverage parts for pets and optional personal property coverage (often termed Broadened Property Damage Coverage & Bond) are so vital.
Personal Injury
Beyond physical harm, personal injury encompasses harm resulting from specific non-physical incidents. This includes issues like false arrest, false detention, malicious prosecution, wrongful eviction, wrongful entry, or invasion of privacy. It also covers damages stemming from defamatory statements (libel and slander) or the violation of privacy rights through oral or written material.
Advertising Injury
This type of coverage addresses damages or injury a claimant sustains during your advertising activities. It includes issues such as libel, slander, violation of privacy rights, misappropriation of advertising ideas, or copyright infringement that may arise from your marketing efforts.
Products and Completed Operations
This coverage is for bodily injury or property damage that occurs away from your owned or rented premises and stems from “your product” or “your work.” It is designed to cover potential issues arising from services or products you provide to clients, but it generally excludes coverage for items you sell for profit.
By understanding these definitions and coverage limits, pet sitters can make informed decisions about their insurance needs, ensuring they are adequately protected. For more detailed information on securing appropriate coverage, consider exploring resources for pet sitting per day services.
