What if the reason your insurance is too high is because of your pet?
Many of us have fuzzy friends like cats and dogs that bring joy to our lives. What doesn’t bring joy, though, is having to pay your too expensive homeowners insurance premium each month.
How much you pay depends on several different factors. Is your specific pet costing you extra each month? Can you still get cheap home insurance when you have pets? Keep reading to get the answers you need!
Certain Breeds Increase Insurance Premiums in AZ
Your pet may be causing your insurance rate to increase. Whether this is the case depends on the pet, the breed, and your insurance carrier.
Cats and dogs in particular may pose a threat to others. Based on the breed and sometimes the animal’s history, an insurance carrier may raise your rates or even deny you coverage altogether. Before buying a home, you may have encountered similar restrictions with renters insurance.
Why Do Pets Affect Insurance Rates?
Pets may affect your insurance rate because they are a liability risk. Certain breeds have a higher chance of biting or scratching visitors, and that means the pet owners are likelier to need their liability coverage sooner rather than later.
In your homeowner’s insurance policy, liability coverage protects you against legal action. If someone visits your home in Arizona and gets injured, they may sue you if they believe you are responsible for the injury in some way. Whether you win or lose the case, defending yourself in court would financially cripple you if you had to pay out of pocket.
Liability coverage helps pay for the medical bills of the injured person and for your legal defense. Since certain breeds of dogs and cats are likelier to attack someone, those who own such pets may pay a higher insurance rate, and they may have trouble getting insurance in the first place.
Do All Pets Increase Insurance in Arizona?
Not every pet increases your insurance rate. Insurance carriers primarily care if you own dogs or cats, and even then, whether your insurance is higher depends on the breed.
As we detailed above, insurance carriers are primarily concerned about whether you are likelier to need your liability coverage anytime soon. Certain breeds of dogs and cats pose a greater risk because these animals may be larger, more violent, and difficult to restrain.
However, there are plenty of other pets unlikely to affect your insurance rates. For example, fish, hamsters, geckos, and even snakes are unlikely to raise your insurance because these pets are not considered very violent and they are usually kept safely contained. As usual, we recommend contacting your insurance carrier if you have questions regarding specific pets and your insurance rate.
What to Know About Insurance and Pets in Arizona
Outside of certain breeds and exceptions, your homeowner’s insurance should cover your pet. However, it’s important that you let your insurance company know about the pet ahead of time.
While it’s annoying that your pet may cause your insurance rates to rise, the good news is that your pets will be covered so long as you add them to your insurance. The bad news is that if you don’t add them (for example, not letting your insurance carrier know when you get a new dog), the insurance carrier could refuse coverage in the event of an incident.
To understand how this works, imagine that you get a new dog, don’t tell your insurance company, and the dog ends up biting a visitor. If that visitor sues you, the insurance carrier may refuse to pay out for your legal costs!
Are Pets Only Covered Inside the House?
For the most part, your pet will be covered by homeowner’s insurance no matter where you are. The primary exception to this is if the insurance carrier thinks that you deliberately had your dog bite someone.
Under a homeowner’s insurance policy, your pet is covered similarly to your other possessions. For example, if you are traveling and some of your possessions are stolen from your car, those stolen possessions are often covered by the homeowner’s insurance policy that affects the rest of your property.
Always be sure to check your insurance carrier’s exact rules regarding pets. If you’re not happy with those rules, it may be time to find new home insurance for pets before you take them on your next road trip.
When Insurance is Refused Based on Dog Breed in Arizona
Some insurance carriers may refuse to offer liability for certain breeds of cats and dogs. If this happens, you may be able to appeal their decision or take out additional coverage as needed.
While cats are considered less dangerous than dogs, certain cat breeds may be denied liability coverage. This includes exotic or high-risk breeds such as Savannah, Bengal, and Egyptian Mau.
Dogs are likelier to be denied coverage, and there are more breeds that are considered too dangerous to insure. This includes pit bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans, Siberian huskies, Great Danes, and more.
If the carrier wants to deny your coverage, there are certain options you can explore. For example, certain carriers offer separate pet liability coverage on top of standard insurance. Other carriers may permit coverage if you take your dog through a special training course. You may even be able to get a DNA test for your dog to prove that it is enough of a mixed breed to not be dangerous in the insurance carrier’s eyes.
However, if you can’t get the coverage you need through your existing insurance carrier, this is the perfect time to shop around for better home insurance for pets through a better insurance company!
Get Affordable Home Insurance in Arizona for Pets Today!
Now you know whether your pet is increasing your insurance or not. But do you know where you can get the best cheap home insurance, even if you have a dog or cat?
Here at Oasis Insurance, we make homeowner’s insurance easy no matter how many fuzzy friends you have. To get started, feel free to request a quote for home insurance online or visit us at a convenient local office. You can also give us a call at 800-330-5190 today!
