Pets can bring a lot of joy to your life — along with a lot of mess. Puppies especially are known to cause tons of damage while teething. They can also scratch at doors or tear up your socks and shoes. Regardless of whether your pet causes this trouble or not, it's important to know whether they are covered under renters insurance.
Pets are covered on most renters insurance policies, but not in the way that you'd think. Most of the time, damage your pet causes to your personal belongings or the structure of the rented property itself won't be covered. In fact, damage pets bring to a rented property — such as an apartment — may cause you to lose the right to your deposit. This includes if the pet ruins carpets, doors or your personal belongings by going to the bathroom inside, tearing or chewing items. Be sure to train your pet and speak with a vet or other animal behavior specialist about ways to stop or prevent your pet's destructive behavior.
Still, if your landlord requires you to carry renters insurance, you may be wondering why if it doesn't cover destruction to the actual building.
Pets are covered under renters insurance only if they cause bodily injury or property damage to another person. This includes if your pet bites someone, or tears up their backpack or purse. Renters insurance can help cover both medical bills for the victim and possible legal fees if the victim of your pet's destruction decides to sue. Landlords often require this liability insurance in order to protect other tenants and themselves by ensuring that you can provide compensation for any damages your furry friend may cause. This is also part of the reason that certain apartments have restrictions on specific breeds and weight sizes.
When considering moving into a rented space, consider your pet's nature. Another reason a pet might cause damage is separation anxiety. While you're gone, they may try to scratch their way out to find you. Solutions to destructive nature should be fixed before moving into a rented space. Otherwise, you may owe the landlord for damages the pet causes to the structure. Apartments aren't usually good atmospheres for puppies going through teething or large dogs with a lot of energy.
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