Pet sitting insurance is essential for anyone wanting to open a pet sitting business not only because it helps them avoid having to pay the expensive costs of possible accidents but also because pet owners consider it a guarantee. Pet sitting insurance is different from regular business insurance, as the business insurance will not cover many of the incidents that your pet sitting job might involve.
What Pet Sitting Insurance Covers
Pet sitting insurance policies are meant to give both the pet sitter and the pet owner more security. For the owner, a pet sitter is a stranger who will have their pet in his care. For the pet sitter, a new client can come with any kinds of surprises: the pet may bite a stranger, he may have unusual habits, or the sitter may accidentally damage something in the client's house while trying to keep the pet under control.
There are several aspects which make a pet sitter liable, so before purchasing insurance, you as a pet sitter, should think about which of these might apply in your case:
- Some insurance policies only cover incidents happening at the pet sitter's main place of business, if you are sitting the pets in their owners' homes, do house sitting as well and walking, you will need to look for an insurance policy that covers all of these.
- Usually, pet sitting insurance policies do not cover all types of pets (such as exotic pets, farm animals etc), so before deciding to also sit these types of animals, make sure you are covered
- If you are also house sitting, your pet sitting insurance plan should include coverage for incidents such as loss of keys.
- Walking, feeding and grooming pets exposes you to negligence claims, so if you are providing these services, it is best to have a CCC pet sitting insurance (care, custody and control).
- You will want your pet sitting insurance plan to cover you for pet transport.
- Having theft insurance in your pet sitting insurance plan will cover you for accidental breaking of things in the pet owner's house, disappearance of objects or other damages to items belonging to the pet owner. Recently, most pet sitting businesses prefer this option.
- If you have more employees, make sure your insurance plan includes them.
- Pet sitting insurance only covers incidents that happen due to the pet sitter's negligence and do not include events that are not under the control of the pet sitter, such as emergency veterinarian expenses. If the pet needs emergency veterinarian care due to causes not under the control of the pet sitter the pet owner should take care of these expenses.
Pet Sitting Insurance Bonds
Dishonesty or fidelity bonds cover the situation when a pet sitter is convicted by law for theft from a pet owner's home while pet sitting. Should a criminal court find a pet sitter guilty of theft, the bond instantly reimburses the pet owner for the loss.