You asked, we answered
Questions about insurance, Pet Care Insurance, and policy renewals? You’re in the right place.
Find out why you should go with PCI here.
Q: HOW DO I GET A QUOTE?
A: Getting a quote is quick and easy. Click here for our application. As you complete the application and select the coverages you need, you will see the annual cost of the insurance. It’s that simple.
Q: HOW DO I PURCHASE THE POLICY?
A: Once the application is complete and the coverages you need are selected, simply click ”purchase now.” Your credit card will be processed for the annual premium, and you will receive a certificate of insurance and copy of your policy.
Q: WHEN IS MY INSURANCE EFFECTIVE?
A: Your insurance policy will go into effect immediately after your payment is verified. Once we have received payment verification, you can print your insurance certificate, add additional insureds, and manage your online account.
Q: CAN I GET INSURANCE FOR MY PERSONAL PETS?
A: Enjoy the comfort of knowing your pet has coverage with Trupanion. Coverage includes accidents, illnesses, cancer, hereditary conditions, and alternative therapies and it can be customized to fit your budget and needs. It can help you worry less about cost when your pet is in need of care. Visit partner site. Terms and limitations apply. Underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company.
Q: WHAT DOES THE BASIC POLICY COVER?
A:
| LIMITS OF INSURANCE | ||
|---|---|---|
| General Liability Coverage | $1,000,000 (Each Occurrence) $2,000,000 (Aggregate Limit) | |
| Products-Completed Operations Aggregate Limit | $2,000,000 | |
| Personal and Advertising Injury Limit | $1,000,000 | |
| Each Occurrence Limit | $1,000,000 | |
| Damage to Premises Rented to You Limit | $100,000 (Any One Premises) | |
| Medical Expense Limit | $5,000 (Any One Person) | |
| Pet Protection or Animal Bailee – Animals in Your Care, Custody, or Control | $2,500 (Each Occurrence) $5,000 (Aggregate Limit) | |
| Veterinarian Expense Reimbursement (Regardless of Fault) | $1,000 (Each Occurrence) $2,500 (Aggregate Limit) $250 (Deductible) | |
| Lost Key Liability Coverage | $2,000 (Each Occurrence) $2,000 (Aggregate Limit) | |
Q: WHAT OPTIONAL COVERAGES ARE AVAILABLE?
A:
- Higher Animal Bailee Coverage Limits
- Broadened Property Damage Coverage
- Dog Training Coverage
- Employee Dishonesty
- House Sitting Coverage
- Independent Contractors Coverage
- Pet Daycare
- Pet Groomers Professional
- Pet Taxi Coverage
Q: IS MY POLICY AN ADMITTED OR EXCESS AND SURPLUS LINES POLICY (E&S)?
A:
To understand what E&S policies are, let’s define standard or admitted insurance policies.These
policies are created by insurance carriers that are licensed with the state and contribute to the
state guarantee fund. This fund pays insurance losses if an insurance carrier is unable to or
becomes insolvent. E&S insurance carriers, also referred to as non-admitted carriers, are
different from standard or admitted insurance carriers in several ways:
- They are not required to be licensed with the state but they can still do business within the
state - The carrier’s insurance agents must have an additional state-specific E&S license to work in
each state - An E&S carrier typically writes classes of business that admitted carriers will not
- E&S carriers do not contribute to the state guarantee fund and are not backed by the
guarantee fund - E&S carriers are not bound by regulated rate and policy form giving them the flexibility to
customize coverage and make changes without the cost and restriction of the state filing process - E&S carriers provide coverage to classes of business that are considered “outside the box”
or “unusual”
Why PCI is an E&S policy:
- To provide customized coverages specific to PCI’s customers
- To lower costs by eliminating the need to file the rates and forms with the state
- It allows us to respond to industry needs with less “red tape”
Q: Are aggressive dog breeds excluded?
A:
No. Individual dogs with a history of aggression (such as biting or injuring other pets or people) will not be covered under a PCI policy, but we don’t consider any dog “aggressive” just because of its breed.
Always ask whether a client’s animals have a history of aggressive behavior to avoid taking on extra risk that your policy may not cover. If you ask (especially in writing) and the client lies, you have a strong defense if there’s an accident. But if you don’t ask, it could be on you. Before agreeing to provide a pet service, we recommend adding this question to your client intake form.
OPTIONAL POLICY COVERAGE
WHAT IS ANIMAL BAILEE?
This is one of the main exposures of the pet care industry. Most standard general liability policies
excluding care, custody, or control of another persons’ property. The Animal Bailee coverage
provides protection for domestic animals in your care, custody, or control. The basic policy
includes $5,000 per occurrence/$10,000 aggregate, but you have the options to purchase additional
limits if needed: $10,000 per occurrence/$20,000 aggregate or $15,000 per occurrence/$30,000
aggregate limit.
WHAT IS BROADENED PROPERTY DAMAGE COVERAGE?
This insurance provides coverage for damage to personal property in your care, custody, or control
for items other than animals. This coverage is especially important if you are caring for pets in
the homes you do not own. The limit of coverage provided is $10,000 per occurrence/$25,000
aggregate.
WHAT IS DOG TRAINING COVERAGE?
The basic policy will include basic dog training (e.g., sit, stay, come) in conjunction with pet
sitting. Any training outside pet sitting, or if the majority of revenue is derived from training,
you will need to purchase this additional coverage. The training of guard dogs, protection dogs,
attack dogs, fighting dogs or police dogs is excluded whether the training coverage is selected or
not.
WHAT IS EMPLOYEE DISHONESTY COVERAGE?
This coverage will pay for loss of or damage to money, securities, and other property sustained by
your client resulting directly from theft committed by an identified employee, acting alone or in
collusion with other persons. The maximum limit provided by this endorsement is $10,000 per
occurrence/$25,000 aggregate. This coverage is not included in the basic policy.
WHAT IS HOUSE SITTING COVERAGE?
Many pet sitters will also have house sitting operations when pets are not present in the home. We exclude house sitting unless the coverage option is purchased and your
house sitting annual revenues do not exceed 45% of the total pet care business revenue.
WHAT IS INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS COVERAGE?
Many pet care providers will use independent contractors within their business operations. To obtain
coverage for your independent contractors, you will need to select this coverage to include them
within your policy. The definition of an “Independent Contractor” is, “a person, contract person,
self-employed contractor, or subcontractor who is not your employee and has been contracted, either
written or verbal, by you, and acts at the direction of and within the premises of your pet care
business.
WHAT IS PET DAYCARE OPERATIONS COVERAGE?
The base policy will exclude any pet daycare operations unless you select this coverage. We consider
pet daycare to be businesses that take clients pets to any private location, or facility, that
you—the insured—may own or rent. If daycare is provided at an employee’s home, a premium will be
charged for the daycare location and employee. There can be no more than 10 pets at any one time and
no more than five pets staying over on a single night.
WHAT IS PET GROOMERS PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY?
Basic grooming (e.g., bathing & brushing) is include in the base policy if it is in conjunction
with pet sitting. Businesses with grooming exposure outside their pet sitting, or if the majority of
revenue is derived from grooming, need to purchase this coverage. When selected, the professional
liability will be the same limit as the general liability limits indicated on the certificate of
insurance.
WHAT IS Pet Taxi Coverage?
This coverage is needed if your business provides pet taxi services. To be eligible for this coverage, you must verify that all pets are separated in an emergency situation, all pets are checked for temperament to confirm they are acceptable with other pets prior to accepting them, and you won’t transfer more than 5 pets in one vehicle.
OTHER COVERAGE DESCRIPTION
WHAT IS VETERINARIAN EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT?
This coverage provides reimbursement for veterinarian expenses, regardless of fault, resulting from
an accident to domestic animals in your care, custody, or control. A veterinary expense would
include emergency care, in-office care, or in-hospital veterinarian care. The coverage is included
in the basic policy with a $1,000 per occurrence/$5,000 aggregate limit with a $250 deductible. No options are available to increase this limit.
WHAT IS LOST KEY LIABILITY COVERAGE?
The policy provides expenses incurred by you to re-key or adjust locks for new keys due to lost or
damaged keys entrusted to you. This coverage would be included in the basic policy with a limit of
$2,000 per occurrence/$2,000 aggregate; no deductible applies. No options are available to increase
this policy limit.
PET AND DOG BREEDING EXCLUSION
This policy excludes any Bodily or Property Damage claims arising from pet and dog breeding
operations. If you would like Breeding Operations covered, please contact one of our underwriters to
discuss your options.
KENNEL EXCLUSION
This policy excludes any Bodily Injury or Property Damage claims arising from kennel operations. If
you would like Breeding Operations covered, please contact one of our underwriters to discuss your
options.
Q: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN OCCURRENCE FORM POLICY AND A CLAIMS-MADE POLICY?
A: One of the major difference is how you need to report any incidents or claim activity. On a Claims-Made policy, the claim or incident must occur during the policy period and be reported to us during the policy period or extended reporting period. On an Occurrence form, the claim only needs to happen during the policy period, but it does not need to be reported to us during the policy period.
Q: WHAT IS A RETROACTIVE DATE (RETRO-DATE)?
A: This date represents the beginning of your professional liability coverage and may be several years in the past. It is important to keep the Retro-Dates from one policy to the next the same. Any claims on a loss or injury that took place prior to the Retro-Date will not be covered under the policy.
If you have not purchased general or professional liability coverage in the past, or you had a lapse in your liability coverage, your Effective Date and Retro-Date may be the same.
Q: WHAT IS AN EXTENDED REPORTING PERIOD?
A: The extended reporting period is a designated amount of time provided after the Claims-Made policy has expired in which you can report a claim or incident. You may not report any claims or incidents after the extended reporting period time has expired.
Q: HOW LONG IS THE EXTENDED REPORTING PERIOD?
A: The basic extended reporting period, which is included in the policy, is 24 months starting from the expiration date of the Claims-Made policy.
Q: WHAT IS AN ADDITIONAL INSURED?
A: An additional insured is a person or organization—not an employee or friend—that can be added to your insurance policy by endorsement. When providing additional insured status to a person or organization, your policy will protect that additional insured for claims arising out of your negligence.
For example, you are contracted with ABC Company to perform specific services and are required to name ABC Company as an additional insured. During your operations, a bodily injury or property damage claim occurs. The injured party sues you and ABC Company. Your policy will provide coverage to ABC Company because they are listed on your policy and are being named in the lawsuit due to your negligence.
This is a common request by landlords, venues, and other persons or organizations for which you may be performing services.
Q: CAN I ADD AN ADDITIONAL INSURED AFTER I PURCHASE MY POLICY?
A: Yes, to add an additional insured, you will need to log into your account, add the additional insured, and print a certificate of insurance showing that the additional insured has been added.
Q: IS THERE A COST TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL INSURED?
A: Yes, $10 for additional insureds. To purchase additional insureds, log into your account and, under the policy screen, click on the “Add Additional Insured” button.
Q: WHAT IS A RISK PURCHASING GROUP (RPG)?
A: An RPG is a legal entity that is created for groups or persons, with similar related liability risks, to join together to take advantage of a joint insurance purchase. An RPG is not an insurance company and there is no additional risk assumed by the RPG members. The RPG allows the group to gather purchasing power to obtain insurance at a significant cost savings. Each member of the RPG will have their own limit of liability separate from other members of the group. The Pet Care Insurance Program (PCI) is written through the Health, Beauty and Trade Alliance (HBTA) Risk Purchasing Group.
Q: WHAT DOES DAMAGE TO RENTED PREMISES COVER?
A: If you enter into a rental or lease agreement to occupy a premise for seven or more days, we will provide coverage to that premise only for damages by a fire, and only up to the limit shown on the certificate of insurance. This does not provide you with any business personal property coverage. If you need business personal property coverage, please contact us.
Q: HOW LONG IS MY POLICY COVERAGE?
A: The period of coverage through your policy is 12 months. The effective and expiration dates will be listed on your policy proof of insurance document, which is accessible from your online account.
Q: HOW DO I ACCESS MY POLICY DOCUMENTS?
A: You can access your policy at any time by logging into your customer portal.
Q: CAN I PAY IN MONTHLY INSTALLMENTS?
A: Yes, monthly payments are available. You can select monthly payments at checkout. When you select monthly payments, you will be charged the first and last month of your policy and any applicable taxes at check out. The monthly payment option includes an additional $1.75 per month fee.
Q: CAN I CHANGE MY COVERAGE LIMITS AFTER I PURCHASE MY POLICY?
A: Yes, you have the flexibility to adjust your coverage up or down depending on your needs.
Q: IF I NO LONGER NEED COVERAGE, CAN I GET A REFUND?
A: All our policies are 100% fully earned and non-refundable once coverage begins.
Q: DOES MY POLICY AUTOMATICALLY RENEW?
A: If you sign up for EZ-Renew, then your policy will automatically renew. If you are not signed up for EZ-Renew, then you will need to log into your account and renew your policy.
Q: HOW DO I RENEW MY POLICY?
A: To renew your policy, log into your online account. Click on “My Policies,” and then click the “Renew” button next to your expiring policy number. The renew button will only be available within 30 days of your policy expiration date. After you’ve clicked renew, simply fill in the required information and submit your renewal.