Broadened Property Damage Coverage
What Is Broadened Property Damage Coverage?
Broadened Property Damage Coverage is coverage for accidentally breaking a client’s stuff while caring for their pet or working on their property. It may also help when you damage property you borrow, rent, or use while doing your job.
Paws-on-the-Ground Example
When a pet sitter shows up for a drop-in visit, they interact with two major kinds of property:
- Real property: The client’s home, land, and other non-movable stuff that’s permanently attached, like floors, walls, and doors
- Personal property: Items in their house, garage, or yard, like decorations, outdoor furniture, TVs, or pet crates
Broadened property damage covers the pet sitter’s risk of damaging someone else’s personal property.
Why It Matters to You
Plenty of pet pros spend their days in other people’s homes and facilities. Even if you’re careful, it’s easy to bump, drop, or misplace things by accident (or for a pet to do it while your back is turned). This coverage helps you avoid an expensive “sorry!” moment.
Here are some ways Broadened Property Damage Coverage is designed to help pet pros who work on someone else’s turf:
- Fills a common gap: General Liability Insurance already covers harm to others’ real property. But it doesn’t cover their personal property. Broadened property damage ensures that an oops moment doesn’t slip through that gap.
- Helps with everyday risks: A stained couch, broken pet gate, or scratched table could all fall under broadened property damage.
- May open up facility use: If you contract with another pet business to rent space or equipment, they may require this coverage to use their stuff, like crates or dryers.
Real-Life Pet Pro Examples
These are some scenarios where a pet pro might need broadened property damage protection:
- Rufus got away from you on a walk and dug up the neighbor’s prized flower garden
- You accidentally damaged a dog’s ecollar during a training session
- You mistakenly put the wrong litter in a client’s self-cleaning litter box
- Luna threw up on the client’s antique rug during your drop-in visit
- A nervous dog damaged the adjustable arm on your rented grooming table
Pro Tip: Broadened property damage doesn’t pay for lost or injured pets (that’s Animal Bailee aka Pet Protection) — but it can cover damage pets in your care do to property. So if Bruno the cat looks you straight in the eye and pees on the client’s bed, this add-on could pay for cleaning or replacement bedding.
What Broadened Property Damage Does and Doesn’t Cover
To build the right protection for you, it’s crucial to understand what your base policy covers under general liability and which risks require Broadened Property Damage Coverage. Here’s a breakdown of how these coverages work together at PCI.
| General Liability | Broadened Property Damage | |
|---|---|---|
|
Client’s real property (windows, driveways, ceiling fans, etc.) |
Covered |
Not covered with broadened property |
|
Client’s personal property (lamps, chairs, pet gear, etc.) |
Not covered under general liability |
Covered |
|
Spaces you rent |
Covered for short-term rentals or fire damage under Damage to Premises Rented to You |
Not covered with broadened property |
|
Borrowed/rented equipment |
Often not covered |
Frequently covered with conditions |
|
Spaces you rent |
Covered for short-term rentals or fire damage under Damage to Premises Rented to You |
Not covered with broadened property |
|
Keys, fobs |
Covered with Lost Key Liability (included in your base policy) |
Not covered with broadened property |
|
Pets (injury to animals) |
Covers injury to animals not in your care, custody, or control, but does not cover your client’s pets (that’s Animal Bailee) |
Not covered with broadened property |
|
Real or personal property you own for your business |
Not covered by general liability for personal property you own (that’s Equipment and Inventory) or real property you own (that’s Commercial Property). |
Not covered with broadened property |
|
Deductible |
No deductible with PCI |
No deductible with PCI |
Client’s real property (windows, driveways, ceiling fans, etc.)
General Liability: Covered
Broadened Property Damage: Not covered with broadened property
Client’s personal property (lamps, chairs, pet gear, etc.)
General Liability: Not covered under general liability
Broadened Property Damage: Covered
Spaces you rent
General Liability: Covered for short-term rentals or fire damage under Damage to Premises Rented to You
Broadened Property Damage: Not covered with broadened property
Keys, fobs
General Liability: Covered with Lost Key Liability (included in your base policy)
Broadened Property Damage: Not covered with broadened property
Pets (injury to animals)
General Liability: Covers injury to animals not in your care, custody, or control, but does not cover your client’s pets (that’s Animal Bailee)
Broadened Property Damage: Not covered with broadened property
Real or personal property you own for your business
General Liability: Not covered by general liability for personal property you own (that’s Equipment and Inventory) or real property you own (that’s Commercial Property).
Broadened Property Damage: Not covered with broadened property
Deductible
General Liability: No deductible with PCI
Broadened Property Damage: No deductible with PCI
Quick Note: Different insurers call Broadened Property Damage Coverage by different names. Look for terms like Broad Form Property Damage Endorsement, CCC Extension, Property of Others, or Care, Custody & Control Extension.
Big Takeaway
Broadened Property Damage Coverage fills one of a pet professional’s most frustrating coverage gaps in an easy and affordable way. It helps you work with peace of mind around other people’s belongings as you give pets top-notch care.
Keep Sniffing Around
- Animal Bailee Coverage
- General Liability
- Care, Custody, Control (CCC)
- Damage to Premises Rented to You
- Lost Key Coverage
- Inland Marine (Equipment Coverage)
Kyle Jude | Program Manager
Kyle Jude is the Program Manager for PCI, where he helps design and maintain liability coverage specifically for pet professionals. With 10+ years of insurance industry experience, he works closely with carriers, underwriters, and compliance teams to ensure PCI coverage stays accurate, responsive, and relevant to real-world risks. At home, he puts that same expertise to use wrangling his four beloved dogs
Kyle Jude is the Program Manager for PCI, where he helps design and maintain liability coverage specifically for pet professionals. With 10+ years of insurance industry experience, he works closely with carriers, underwriters, and compliance teams to ensure PCI coverage stays accurate, responsive, and relevant to real-world risks. At home, he puts that same expertise to use wrangling his four beloved dogs