Can an insurance company cancel home owners insurance because you own a dog?
We have a friend that was told by insurance company that he had to get rid of his 2 labs because they are high on the bite list. If he diesn't get rid of them the insurance company will cancel him.
Yes, they can. However, Labs are not generally considered biters and I'm wondering what list they were looking at.
Have either of the dogs bitten anyone?
There seems to be something else going on here. Read the article below though and tell them to find another insurance company. Not all insurance companies are anti-dog. They're just anti-dogs that bite and I'm having a problem with Labs being classed as biters. They are not a breed known for biting. If they were, Guide Dogs for the Blind wouldn't be using them as one of their main breeds for Guide Dogs.
Additional info: Here's the only dog bite list I could find. Labs are not on it. (the number at the end of each breed is the number of fatalities between 1979 – 1998)
1. Pit Bull — 76
2. Rottweiler — 44
3. German Shephard — 27
4. Husky — 21
5. Malamute — 15
6. Wolf-Dog Hybrid — 14
7. Mixed Breed — 12
8. Chow-Chow — 11
9. Doberman-Pincher — 9
10. Great Dane — 8
11. St. Bernard — 8
No they cannot. They cannot dictate who or what lives in your house. Read your contract that you have with them and ask alot of questions and have them put in writing why they cancelled you.
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I have four cats and two dogs living with my family.
Add detail as no one is a mind reader.
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Yes they can. It is a potential liability that they could have to pay claims on. Generally that is not a reason, however if your dog is a particularly aggressive breed or has bit people, then it is reasonable since the premium they would have to charge to cover the risk would be so high, you wouldn't pay it.
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Yes. They can cancel for any dog that's bitten anyone before, or if they have a list of "high risk" dogs filed with the state and your dog is that breed or partially that breed, they can cancel for "increased risk" if the animal was not originally disclosed on the application.
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agent, 21+ years
Well first off, Labs are NOT on the "bite" list. They have certain breeds that they can either deny writing the insurance or have the insured sign a waiver stating there is no liability coverage in the event of a dog bite. The only way they would not write labs is if their dog has already bitten someone. My advice is to check around for another insurance company, who knows, they might even save money.
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Yes, they can. However, Labs are not generally considered biters and I'm wondering what list they were looking at.
Have either of the dogs bitten anyone?
There seems to be something else going on here. Read the article below though and tell them to find another insurance company. Not all insurance companies are anti-dog. They're just anti-dogs that bite and I'm having a problem with Labs being classed as biters. They are not a breed known for biting. If they were, Guide Dogs for the Blind wouldn't be using them as one of their main breeds for Guide Dogs.
Additional info: Here's the only dog bite list I could find. Labs are not on it. (the number at the end of each breed is the number of fatalities between 1979 – 1998)
1. Pit Bull — 76
2. Rottweiler — 44
3. German Shephard — 27
4. Husky — 21
5. Malamute — 15
6. Wolf-Dog Hybrid — 14
7. Mixed Breed — 12
8. Chow-Chow — 11
9. Doberman-Pincher — 9
10. Great Dane — 8
11. St. Bernard — 8
References :
http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/dogbite/
It's all based on whatever contract they have approved by your state.
If they have a list of animals listed in the contract that they will not allow for any homeowners policy as part of their standard underwriting rules, they are required to apply it equally.
To the extent that a member of my staff (who has been with our agency for 19 years) had her own insurance policy under review for non-renewal after her cocker spaniel bit someone. As it turned out, there were witnesses who testified that the person who was bitten had been kicking the dog and hitting it with a stick before the dog bit him.
Since the court case was thrown out and the witness info said the attack was provoked, we were able to keep her policy from being cancelled. That's the ONLY reason we were able to keep it.
In some cases, if the dog does not have a history of biting, the insurance company may keep the policy if a particular type of certified training is completed; however, once again, that would come down to what type of contract was on file with the state.
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licensed agent: life & health, property & casualty
I had a german shepherd and had to carry extra insurance on my policy to cover anything she might do. I also had to show proof that she had attended and passed a reputable obedience school but I was able to get a reasonably priced policy.
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Every insurance company has it's own policies regarding animals in the household. Typically insurance companies will prohibit any animal which has either had a bite history (bite someone who then filled a claim, etc) or is likely to (think of all those pitbull eats baby stories you hear about on tv).
Most insurance company's will not write policies if certain conditions are met, such as the presence of exotic (think aligator, LARGE snakes, etc) or dangerous animals (dobermans, rotwilers, akitas, pitbulls, etc).
If it should somehow come to the attention of the insurance company that you've got 14 pitbulls in house then yes more than likely they will non-renew your policy.
This is a company by company thing were there can be wide variation. The exact answer is buried inside the policy jacket the company sends you every renewal. The best answer can be found by asking your particular agent.
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Yes.
Labs are not on the undesirable list of breeds. However, if the labs are very aggressive or vicious or have a bite history or maybe part lab and part undesirable breed that show aggression then the insurance co. will have issues with that. They will not tell someone to get rid of their dog, they will just non-renew the policy. Some companies will let you exclude coverage for the dog.
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