What You Need To Know About Homeowners Insurance When You Have A Dog

You wouldn’t think that your dog would be such a major consideration when buying homeowners insurance, but it can be. Your dog, and its breed specifically, can affect your insurance premiums just as surely as the age of your house can. You want to go into this situation fully informed of the weight that your dog can carry in your insurance company’s determination of your rates and how you should approach this matter as a whole.

Check With Your Insurance Company

Now that you know that your dog can affect your policy premiums, you know that you will want to check with your insurance company before you decide to add a dog to your family. You will want to know how your insurance company views dogs, how a dog will affect your rates, and what breeds might have more of an effect on premiums. This is always the proper procedure if you already have a policy and are thinking of getting a dog. You will want to know how your dog will affect your policy and your premiums.

This has become such a big issue that some states have pending legislation to address it. This legislation will attempt to prevent insurance companies from discriminating against owners of certain breeds of dog. This is not to say that every insurance company will have a problem with your dog. You just want to be aware of their stance before you make any decisions.

If You Are Looking For An Insurance Company

If you are still in the stage where you are looking for an insurance company then the procedure is the same. You want to be aware of each company’s policy on dogs and how dogs affect coverage and rates. If you don’t know where to start then you can get in touch with your state’s insurance commissioner. They will be able to give you a list of the insurance companies in your area.

As you contact each company, your dog will be one more item on your checklist of questions. One way to make your dog more appealing to insurance companies is to offer to provide documentation that your dog has completed an obedience training program. Some insurance companies look on this measure as a means of demonstrating that your dog will not be a substantial risk.

You could also consider purchasing some separate insurance to help cover your dog. This could be a separate liability policy or you could just add a rider to your existing policy. This may not be your first choice of action, but it is an option if other routes prove problematic.

Finding homeowners insurance when you have a dog may just mean that you have one more factor to take into account. Although some insurance companies are wary of certain dog breeds, others will not be. You will have to assess each company’s position and then find the policy that best fits your needs. It’s just like shopping for homeowners insurance any other time. Just don’t forget Fido.