• Post last modified:October 5, 2020
  • Post category:Insurance

When looking for good and reliable home insurance coverage, you probably are thinking about the age of your home, the belongings you have, and the area in which you live (such as threat to flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.).  But another facet of CT homeowners insurance coverage that companies are now taking into consideration that you may have overlooked is your four-legged friend.

That’s right folks, more and more insurance companies are factoring into their home insurance policies the risk of having a dog because of an uptick in dog bites.  Moreover, they’re also beginning to pinpoint specific dog breads that are deemed ‘riskier’ to the insurance company because of their aggressive nature or history. Now usually, the liability portion of your CT home insurance will cover the actions of your pet, but like we just alluded to, dog bite claims seem to be increasing over the past several years, so changes may be coming for your policy if you have a dog that is a breed known for its aggressive behavior. If you own a pit bull, Rottweiler, or even a husky, then you may experience an increase in your CT homeowners insurance rates.

Unfortunately, in some extreme cases, insurance companies are making families chose either their beloved canines or their home’s insurance coverage.  And as sad as that may be, the insurance companies have the data to back up these claims.  Just like it would be more expensive to ensure a home on the coastline than inland because of risk, so to is true by owning a historically aggressive dog breed- you’re simply more likely to file a claim for a bite than if you have a smaller, less aggressive dog. Data according to the Insurance Information Institute shows that dog bites accounted for more than one-third of all homeowner liability claims paid out in 2012, which have cost these companies nearly $490 million last year.

So maybe you’ll think twice about having a historically aggressive dog breed as your pet, and maybe you won’t.  Either way, make sure that you have your CT homeowners insurance coverage squared away to ensure that you’re getting the best policy possible for your specific living situation.  Any questions, please don’t hesitate to call! 684- 5270