Pet Liability Insurance for Renters

Renters insurance covers third-party damage or injury caused by your pet under personal liability coverage. This means you are covered if your pet hurts others or damages others’ property under covered circumstances, while you and your property are not covered. When you purchase a renters insurance policy, you’ll select a liability coverage limit (typically starting at $100,000), and you’ll be responsible for expenses above that limit.

Personal liability insurance offers the following types of coverage:

Renters insurance won't cover injuries your pet causes to you or damage it does to your own property or apartment. It also doesn't pay for your pet's health costs — that's where pet insurance comes in handy. 

For example, if your elderly pet has an accident on a carpet owned by the landlord, your renters insurance wouldn't cover the damage. Similarly, if your pet is injured inside or outside your apartment, renters insurance won’t cover the vet bill.

Depending on your renters insurance provider, liability coverage might not cover some dog breeds or exotic pets. Certain breeds of dogs are considered higher risk by insurers and may not be covered. Exotic pets like reptiles, wolves or other wild animals usually aren't covered either. If you're unsure whether your renters insurance covers your pet, check with your provider.

Getting denied coverage because of your furry friend isn't the end of the road. Start by shopping around for dog-friendly insurance companies that don't discriminate based on breed. State Farm doesn't ask about your dog's breed when writing renters insurance policies, and USAA doesn't impose any breed restrictions, though you'll need military ties to qualify for USAA coverage.

You've still got options even if your pet isn't covered under standard renters insurance liability coverage. An umbrella policy, for example, can provide expanded liability protection that covers incidents your renters policy excludes. You can also consider pet-specific liability insurance, which offers specialized policies that focus solely on pet-related incidents and often cover breeds that traditional insurers won't touch.

Don't give up after the first "no." What one insurer sees as a liability, another might view as just another family pet worth protecting.

You can buy renters insurance from most major insurance companies, like State Farm or Geico, as well as from smaller insurers like Lemonade. Most policies require a minimum of $100,000 in liability coverage. Unlike property coverage, personal liability coverage typically doesn't have a deductible.

According to MoneyGeek's analysis of major insurers, the average cost of a renters insurance policy with $20,000 of personal property coverage is $13 per month. Be sure to shop around and compare coverage to find the best renters insurance providers to meet your price and coverage needs.

Worried about liability exposure and want additional coverage? Bumping your coverage from the standard $100,000 liability coverage limit to $300,000 typically costs just a few extra dollars per month. If you're unsure what coverage limit makes sense for your situation, an insurance agent can walk you through your options and help you find the right balance between cost and protection.

The best policy balances affordability, service quality and coverage. Getting quotes for renters insurance from multiple providers can help you compare offers and find the best rates. Use our renters insurance calculator below to get started.

While many renters are familiar with rental insurance policies that cover basic risks like theft or property damage due to natural disasters, they may not be as familiar with the liability coverage part of renters insurance, which includes pet liability coverage. 

Renters insurance can provide financial protection should your pet cause damages or injuries to a third party. However, there are certain exclusions like damages to you or your property and your pet's health costs.

We answer common questions about pet liability insurance for renters.

Why Trust MoneyGeek? We obtained information from Quadrant Information Services and examined customer and claim satisfaction rates from top industry assessments: J.D. Power, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and AM Best. We developed a ranking methodology to compare this data and provide the best renters insurance solutions for different renter profiles at national and state levels.

Methodology

Using average premium data from all 50 states, we created a customized grading system for each renters insurance company based on four performance categories: customer service, affordability, financial stability and coverage options. Renters can assess a provider's ability by looking at the total MoneyGeek score, which combines these qualities.

Reviews and Rankings Methodology

Our rankings come from manually gathered data from user-facing insurance offerings and reputable consumer reporting agencies:

• Customer service: J.D. Power
• Financial stability: AM Best
• Affordability: Quadrant Information Services
• Coverage options: Insurer

We prioritize affordability while assigning a scale and weight to each element of an insurer's performance. We then add these individual scores together to get a total score of 100. We modify pricing information based on the persona, state or coverage limit, depending on the category.

Renters Insurance Profile

To collect quotes for our study, we used a sample profile of a renter with good credit and the following attributes:

• Has a good credit score of 769–792
• Has not made any claims in the past five years

Renters Insurance Coverage Details

Unless otherwise noted, we used these coverage limits to generate our quote analysis for renters insurance:

• $20,000 in personal property coverage
• $100,000 in personal liability coverage
• $1,000 deductible