Whether you are a pet owner or indeed a pet sitter you will have thought about pet sitters insurance.  While there definite advantages to being covered, there are costs to consider. And you have to think about what insurance is most suitable. Here are some thoughts to help you consider the options.

Do Pet Sitters Need Insurance?

In many professions, there is a need and sometimes a requirement to have insurance, as part of the work you do. Does that apply to pet sitters? You might not think so, but it can be wise to have insurance if you’re a pet sitter.

For example, if you’re pet sitting and a dog attacks someone, you could be found negligent. That means you could be financially responsible for injuries that might occur. The same is true of dog owners, landlords, and property owners.

Beyond a pet you’re sitting for someone and their precious animal. There are other reasons you might want insurance, and the following are some of the big things to think about.

Professional pet sitter – Reasons to Get Pet Sitters Insurance

If you’re a professional pet sitter, the following are some of the big reasons you might be happy if you have pet sitters insurance:

• You’re sitting for a pet that eats something it shouldn’t
• A pet is injured while you’re taking care of it
• You damage your client’s property
• Your employee damages a client’s property
• A pet escapes
• The pet breaks something in their owner’s home. 

  

Ultimately, if you run a pet sitting business pet sitters insurance insurance can also give you credibility.  It can help your customers trust you more. You can give yourself a competitive advantage by showing how seriously you take your business and safety.

When you have insurance you have a new way to market yourself, and you can also provide peace of mind to owners who are entrusting you with their pets.

If any of the above situations were to happen, it’s possible that you could have to go to court, and if you don’t have the money to cover the damages, you might go out of business or worse.

It’s even possible, depending on the situation, that you could be held personally responsible.

If you face an adverse situation, an insurance policy might cover it so you aren’t paying out-of-pocket for damages.

Liability Insurance

One type of insurance you might consider if you have a pet sitting business is liability coverage. This will protect your business from bodily injury or property damage that occurs while you’re doing business.

Liability insurance is a good, foundational type of coverage for anyone who has a business of any kind.

Liability insurance tends to be somewhat comprehensive, but it may not cover all losses, so you do need to go over your policy and make sure you’re clear on what’s covered.

If you only get one type of insurance for your pet sitting business, make it liability coverage.

Worker’s Compensation Insurance in Petsitting

Something else worth looking into if you have a pet sitting business is worker’s comp which covers employees’ costs that they may incur while they’re on the job if they are injured. Workers’ comp in some cases will also cover a portion of an employees’ salary until they can return to work.

If you don’t have any petsitting employees you can skip this coverage, but if you have even one employee you’ll need it. In some states, it’s required.

Auto Insurance for Pet sitters

Another thing to make sure you have in line is your auto insurance. If you’re going to be using a vehicle to do business, your personal auto policy may be all you need. However, some insurance providers won’t cover losses that occur when you’re using your personal vehicle for purposes of your business.

Some policies don’t cover you if there are live animals in the vehicle when damages occur.

Umbrella Insurance

Another type of insurance is umbrella insurance, which provides coverages for any gaps that might exist in your other coverage. A business with a lot of assets typically buys umbrella insurance. However, if you’re a pet sitter you might want it if you see that you’re in a high-risk business.

Finding Coverage

Finding coverage as a pet sitter isn’t too challenging, because you don’t need anything too specialized—you just need the insurance any business owner would want to have for general protection.

You should be very careful when choosing a policy because there may be stipulations that will mean you don’t have as much coverage as you’d like.

You may be the perfect pet sitter but…

As a petsitting business owner and operator of any kind, insurance can be an important part of building your brand and also protecting yourself. We sometimes underestimate the importance of being properly insured. This is particularly true in the gig economy. However, it can make a difference in how you grow your business and it can keep you from having to pay out of pocket if should something go wrong.

Useful blogs about pet sitting and housesitters

At Housesitmatch.com we like to share useful blogs and practical advice about housesitters, housesitting and pet sitting. We hope you find this small selection of our blogs on house sitters useful.

Pet sitting services from Housesit Match

Pet and housesitters keep pets safe at home and save money

What a housesitter does – Top 10 responsibilities

Preparing a home for a house or pet sitter