I have three pitbulls that I have had for five years. Now I am trying to buy a house and I know it's going to be a problem trying to get HO Ins. Is there any way around getting the ins. with the dogs?
2006-10-27 08:36:40 · 16 answers · asked by trinam04 1 in Business & Finance ➔ Insurance
I hate to say this but you won't be getting insurance...period, unless you agree to exclude any coverage from any claims that arise from the dogs.
Insurers have stopped covering homes with potentially dangerous dogs and pit bulls top the list.
Want to know why? The average dog bite claim in America is more than $15,000 and there are so many of them that this is now a $2-Billion problem in America.
Lawyers (who get a 40% cut of any settlement) have made this now a cottage industry....pretty much guaranteeing they can get you about $15,000 no matter how bad the injury.
Even just a small nip that is hardly noticeable is worth thousands and thousands of dollars.
So, thank the greedy trial lawyers for making it near impossible for even responsible dog owners to get properly insured.
Now, if you lie on your application and tell them you don't have the dogs and they find out later you do.....they will not only cancel your insurance for lying but then refuse to indemnify you in case of a proper claim....which means you'll not only lose your coverage but then you'll have to pay the damage claim yourself.
If you can't get HO coverage anywhere else, most states have a high risk pool mostly known as FAIR Plans. You can contact your state's FAIR plan and get coverage from them.
2006-10-27 08:46:32 · answer #1 · answered by markmywordz 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The insurance agent typically asks you if you have any dogs, the breed, and their past bite history. Even if they don't ask prior to the policy inception, most insurers have the ability to cancel you later down the line. Several states' insurance commissioners have banned insurers from denying coverage to homes based on the breed of the dog. It's no secret that pit bulls have a bad reputation for being aggressive, although there are many sweet ones. Some companies will deny you coverage, some will exclude claims that arise from the dogs, and some will charge extra to cover the breed. The insurer I work for will not accept you unless you live in Michigan (where it is illegal to decline coverage for a specific breed of dog), but you may want to try State Farm, Fireman's Fund, or even Lloyd's of London. It may be hard to find coverage, but there is an insurer out there to provide you coverage. Each state has an assigned risk plan for people who can't find an insurer to accept them. You would have to contact the state insurance department and they will assign you an insurer who has to provide coverage, no matter the risk.
2006-10-27 14:48:33 · answer #2 · answered by Rexy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You get around this by lying. Problem is, if you make a claim against your policy and they find out, not only will your claim be denied, they may decide to sue YOU for fraud. Your claim may not even have anything to do with the dogs, lets say a backyard shed catches fire. If an adjuster comes and sees evidence of a dog, and this information was required by your policy application, this may cancell out ALL your coverage and may affect your ability to get coverage in the future. Best bet is to fill out any information they ask for. Even if you think it's none of your business, if you sign the bottom of the application that the information is true, they can sue you for perjury if it is not. The problem with lying is that you have to maintain the lie. Not an easy thing to do for an extended period of time. AND, you have to get the whole rest of the world to lie for you. Not possible. All it will take to catch you at a lie will be a few questions asked of your neighbors on either side of you. And the ones behind. And the ones at the corners of your property. And the ones across the street. And their kids and their friends. Even you, yourself recognize the risks, as indicated by the fact that you mention Pit Bulls, by breed. If they are genuinely no risk to you or anyone else, then there is no reason to lie. If the dogs even MIGHT be a risk, all the more reason to include their presence on the application.
2016-03-28 09:25:38 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. Every policy application asks if you own a dog. Pit Bulls, aka American Staffordshire Terriers, are prohibited dogs for every insurance company I have EVER heard of .
However, some companies will write your homeowners policy, with a DOG exclusion - ie, they won't cover any dog bites. IN particular, Foremost Insurance - www.foremost.com will do this.
So ask around, see if the companies will give you the dog bite exclusion - go to Foremost as a last resort, because they'll be the most expensive.
Many carriers will NOT give you the dog bite exclusion, because if your dog bites someone, even with the exclusion, a jury is likely to make the insurance company pay ANYWAY. But Foremost is still willing to take that risk.
2006-10-28 02:58:11 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It is going to be extremely difficult for you to get homeowners insurance if you have pitbulls. If you lie on the the application they can deny a claim even if it happens 5 years down the road. It is considered a material misrepresentation and they could deny ANY type of claim that you have because if they had known about the pitbulls they would not have insured you.
Every company asks about pets. I do have one company that does not exclude certain types of dogs but will not write a home that has a pet with vicious tendencies.
2006-10-27 09:57:34 · answer #5 · answered by blb 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You absolutely must disclose - some HO policies need an additional rider for certain breeds of dogs (pits, rotties, sheperds, dobies, among others) and some won't cover at all.
If you don't disclose it and God forbid, one of the dogs bites someone, you're setting yourself up for one mother of a lawsuit. (Or, even if the dogs never bite anyone, but the insurance company finds out about them, you'll either get dropped faster than a hot brick or they'll sue you. And then forget about trying to get covered by any other insurer.)
2006-10-29 03:23:00 · answer #6 · answered by zippythejessi 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is going to be hard to find a company that will insure since you have dogs that are considered viscous. it never a good idea to lie about anything to the insurance company because in the long run they could cancel your coverage. Even if you do lie and get them to issue the policy to you most insurance companies do an inspection of the premises before or after writing the policy so they will see the dogs anyway.
2006-10-29 15:12:22 · answer #7 · answered by mandymay 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, you can get the Homeowner insurance. First you inform the agent about the pets you have and get the quote with the animal exclusion. Your home will be covered by the homeowner insurance except the liability coverage caused by your pet.
Check the following;
http://www.insureme.com/landing.aspx?Refby=614783&Type=home
You enter your information once, then you will be contacted by the licensed agents with their best quote for your insurance needs via phone or email.
2006-10-30 16:12:13 · answer #8 · answered by John 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most would not cover any liablity to the animals and may even void your coverage if you are asked and lie about it.
So why risk having insurance for 3 years, and then find out theywould not pay if you had a claim because you were not truthful about the dogs.
2006-10-27 09:46:29 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Not many insurance companies will insure a home with one pit bull let alone three. However, they will not usually ask you if you own any dogs. It's a risk you have to decide to take. Good luck to you.
2006-10-27 08:45:20 · answer #10 · answered by Ladybeth 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋