Additional Insured
What Is an Additional Insured?
An additional insured is a person or business you add to your liability policy so they’re protected if a claim comes up from your work. They don’t own your policy. They’re just covered under it for accidents connected to your pet care.
What It Means for You
- Landlord requirement: The owner of your rented grooming suite, kennel, or office wants protection if a lawsuit involving your business also names them.
- Working on someone else’s turf: A vet clinic, daycare, or training facility asks to be covered under your policy while you work in their building
- Contracts and events: An adoption event or pet care expo requires vendors to list the organizer as an additional insured.
- Business partnerships: Referral partners or companies you collaborate with want coverage if they’re pulled into a lawsuit related to your services.
In short: Adding an additional insured helps you access the contracts, jobs, and spaces you want. It protects everyone involved if something unexpected happens during pet care.
When You’ll Be Asked to Add an Additional Insured
Requests to be added as an additional insured might appear in a rental agreement, vendor contract, or event permit.
Common scenarios include:
- The contract or permit literally says, “You must add us as additional insured.”
- You’re working on their premises or their event.
- You’re a subcontractor for another pet business, like a pet-sitting agency or grooming salon.
- A city or park department will only issue you a permit if they’re an additional insured.
Don’t worry, this kind of request is a normal part of running a professional pet business (especially when working on someone else’s property).
Named Insured vs. Additional Insured: What’s the Difference?
As the named insured (the policy owner), you control your insurance. That includes adding or removing other people or businesses as an additional insured.
| Named Insured (You) | Additional Insured (Them) | |
|---|---|---|
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Do they control the policy?
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Yes, you are the policyholder.
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No, they are added for coverage in specific situations under your policy.
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What’s covered?
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Your business, according to your policy.
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Claims caused by your work for them.
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Are their mistakes covered?
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Yes. Your policy is made to cover accidents during your care, like pet injuries or property damage.
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No. If an additional insured causes an accident, they need their own liability insurance policy to cover it.
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How to set it up
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Buy your policy and maintain your coverage.
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Add them with an additional insured endorsement via your PCI dashboard
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Proof
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COI listing your coverages
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COI showing their additional insured status
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Do they control the policy?
Named Insured (You): Yes, you are the policyholder.
Additional Insured (Them): No, they are added for coverage in specific situations under your policy.
What’s covered?
Named Insured (You): Your business, according to your policy.
Additional Insured (Them): Claims caused by your work for them.
Are their mistakes covered?
Named Insured (You): Yes. Your policy is made to cover accidents during your care, like pet injuries or property damage.
Additional Insured (Them): No. If an additional insured causes an accident, they need their own liability insurance policy to cover it.
How to set it up?
Named Insured (You): Buy your policy and maintain your coverage.
Additional Insured (Them): Add them with an additional insured endorsement via your PCI dashboard
Proof
Named Insured (You): COI listing your coverages
Additional Insured (Them): COI showing their additional insured status
Big takeaway: Your additional insureds are only covered for your work with them, not for mistakes they make on their own. Adding them is a simple way to build trust and keep your business relationships running smoothly.
How to Add an Additional Insured
Good news: the process at Pet Care Insurance (PCI) is quick and easy:
- Check your contract, lease, or event paperwork. It’ll spell out exactly who needs to be added and how their name should appear.
- Update your policy online. You can add additional insureds anytime through your PCI dashboard.
- Get the proof. Download or print your updated certificate of insurance (COI) showing the additional insured.
Pro tip: You can add unlimited additional insureds to any PCI policy for just $10 per year.
Common Questions and Confusions
A few details tend to trip people up:
- Certificate holder ≠ additional insured. A certificate holder just gets a copy of your COI. They’re not automatically an additional insured.
- Coverage doesn’t last forever. Additional insured status often applies only to a specific event, contract, or location. Once that agreement ends, you can remove that additional insured from your policy.
- Coverage is job- or venue-specific. If you move, end a lease, or sign a new contract, you’ll need to add your new partner as an additional insured separately.
Why you should care: Double-checking these details saves you last-minute headaches and keeps you in good standing with partners. Once you’ve added a few additional insureds, it becomes second nature — just another way to show you run your business like a pro.
Keep Sniffing Around
- Certificate of Insurance (COI)
- Endorsement
- Primary & Noncontributory
- Waiver of Subrogation
- Indemnification
Kyle Jude | Program Manager
Kyle Jude is the Program Manager for Pet Care Insurance. As a dedicated program manager with 10+ years of experience in the insurance industry, Kyle offers insight into different coverages for small business owners who are looking to navigate business liability insurance.
Kyle Jude is the Program Manager for Pet Care Insurance. As a dedicated program manager with 10+ years of experience in the insurance industry, Kyle offers insight into different coverages for small business owners who are looking to navigate business liability insurance.