Public liability insurance for dog walkers and pet sitters

How to approach the cover

There is no shortcut in the business description. It should cover the routine jobs and the less frequent work that can carry more risk.

The quotation should describe the risk and the policy should reflect that description. Keep both sets of documents so you can compare them.

The points most likely to change the insurance answer include: a dog injures a person or another animal; a pet damages third-party property; and a key is lost while a client is away. A familiar accident can still fall outside a policy. Use these examples to check what has actually been quoted.

A few minutes with your diary, invoices and contracts should help you confirm: maximum dogs per walk; off-lead policy and transport; and home visits, boarding and key holding. Keep a copy of the completed answers with the documents that follow.

Read the schedule and endorsements when they arrive. They may contain restrictions that do not appear on the certificate. Keep written answers with the quotation so they can be found later.

Jobs and situations to mention

A quotation should take account of points such as these:

• A dog injures a person or another animal
• A pet damages third-party property
• A key is lost while a client is away

They are examples rather than promises of cover. The insurer will still examine what happened and what the policy says.

Take “a dog injures a person or another animal” first. Where would it happen, who would be nearby and what property could be affected? The answer may reveal a site, method or customer type that has not appeared elsewhere in the quotation.

Next consider “a key is lost while a client is away”. Ask what could stop the damage becoming worse and what evidence would still be available after the site had been cleared.

You are not trying to predict every claim. The point is to see whether the proposed description bears a sensible resemblance to the work.

Information the provider may need

Have the following information ready before you begin:

• Maximum dogs per walk
• Off-lead policy and transport
• Home visits, boarding and key holding

A trade name rarely tells the whole story. “maximum dogs per walk”, “off-lead policy and transport” and “home visits, boarding and key holding” give the provider a clearer account of the tasks, people and places involved in the work.

Where a contract has prompted the purchase, keep its insurance clause beside the quote. That makes the required limit and dates easier to check.

Two reminders from this page are “check care, custody and control wording” and “motor cover must suit business transport”; keep them beside the documents when you check the quotation. If the policy takes a different approach to “maximum dogs per walk”, ask about it before the cover is needed and retain any written reply.

Look for mistakes as soon as the documents arrive, especially in the business name and activity description.

What the certificate does not show

• Check care, custody and control wording
• Motor cover must suit business transport
• Follow licence rules for boarding where applicable

An endorsement can change the standard wording. Check every endorsement listed on the schedule.

A final check against the real work

Check the work diary for tasks involving heat, height, water, digging, treatment, advice or products. These are easily forgotten when they are not done every week.

Where an answer is an estimate, note the figures used. Update the provider if the eventual position is substantially different.

If a customer has set the insurance requirement, send the certificate only after checking it. The legal name, dates and limit should match what the customer reasonably expects to see.

The page has one more practical caution: follow licence rules for boarding where applicable; check how this affects the jobs you accept and ask for clarification if the policy takes a different approach.