Pet liability coverage is often a provision in a renters insurance policy. Sometimes, it’s a separate coverage option beyond a standard renters insurance policy.

Pet liability insurance covers property damage or injuries to a third party caused by your pet. Just like any insurance policy, there are coverage restrictions and limitations.

Specifically, pet liability insurance doesn’t cover a pet’s medical expenses, even when they’re due to an injury that happened inside your rental. When you have both pet liability insurance and pet insurance, you know that you’re covered when your pets cause damage to your rental — and possibly to themselves in the process.

When included in a standard renters insurance policy, pet liability coverage is sometimes limited even further through sub-limits on the expenses associated with pet incidents. For example, if a renters insurance policy has a $100,000 liability limit, the insurer could put a cap on what it pays for pet liability claims, reducing the coverage limit to $25,000.

Many insurance companies refuse coverage for damage done by some dog breeds, fairly or not. Commonly excluded dog breeds include:

• Mastiffs
• Pit bulls
• German shepherds
• Doberman pinschers
• Rottweilers
• Akitas
• Great Danes
• Staffordshire terriers

This isn’t an exhaustive list, so make sure to ask your renters insurance company for specific exclusions.

Additionally, the company may refuse coverage for dogs with a bite history. An insurance agent might require that you sign a waiver of exemption for the pet through your renters policy, which means that damage caused by your pet won’t be covered by your renters insurance policy.

If any of these restrictions apply to your situation, you can explore a separate dog liability insurance policy designed for so-called high-risk dog breeds. It’s also common for insurance companies to deny coverage for damage done by farm animals or exotic pets.

A Review of Renters Insurance

Renters insurance covers damage in the house or apartment you’re renting. Renters policies generally cover damage to the rental’s structure, damage to your personal property, and fees related to legal action against the renter. There are three different coverage elements under a renters policy:

1. Personal belongings: the costs of repairing or replacing your possessions, such as furniture, clothing or electronics, following damage or theft
2. Liability: the costs associated with damages, injuries and legal fees when you are found liable for an incident
3. Additional living expenses: the costs of temporary living arrangements if your residence is uninhabitable due to damage from a covered incident

Does Renters Insurance Include Pet Liability Coverage?

Most rental insurance policies have some coverage for damage that a pet leaves behind. However, some insurance companies won’t cover the cost of damages when an excluded animal, such as an exotic pet or a specific dog breed, caused the damage.

Renters insurance coverage generally does not extend to the health costs related to a pet’s injuries, even if the injury happened in or near the rental. Pet insurance is a separate policy that covers the health costs of a pet.