Pet Home Boarding Insurance
Specialist cover for pet home boarding businesses from £5.41* a month.
- Protecting over 35,000 pet care professionals.**
- Flexible payment plans at 0% APR
- Public Liability up to £10 million
- Vet bills & equipment covered
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From £5.41* per month
What does pet home boarding insurance cover?
Insurance for pet home boarding offers the essential liability cover you need at a great price, allowing you to customise your policy to fit the unique requirements of your business.
With our insurance, you can choose from different levels of coverage, tailored to protect against the specific risks associated with boarding animals. Whether you run a small, family-operated facility or a large, commercial boarding establishment, our policy is designed to safeguard your business from potential claims related to property damage, injury, or illness.
Our policy includes 11 pet care activities, all our Pet Business Insurance policies include cover for dog walking, dog grooming, cat grooming, mobile dog grooming, mobile cat grooming, dog training, dog hydrotherapy, pet behaviourist, pet home boarding, pet microchipping and pet minding.
Make sure you have the correct insurance for your business and be sure to check if any exclusions are relevant to what you have planned in policy documentation.
Public Liability
Loss of Keys
Care, Custody & Control
Equipment
Close Family Extension
Home-Based Care Protection
Care, Custody and Control (Vet Fees)
- Up to £100,000 cover (£25,000 per animal).
- If a clients’ dog is injured or falls ill while staying in your home, this cover handles the veterinary bills. Whether it is an injury sustained while playing in your garden or an accidental ingestion of something harmful in the kitchen, this cover can ensure the pet gets immediate care.
Non-Negligent Cover
- Pets can sometimes suffer health issues during a stay despite perfect supervision. This protection covers vet fees for accidents or illnesses that occur through no fault of your own, ensuring the animals’ care is prioritised.
Travel Expense Reimbursement
- Should a pet suffer a serious injury or go missing in your care, their owner may need to fly home early. We provide up to £1,000 to reimburse their emergency travel expenses, easing the financial burden on the client during a stressful time.
Liability and Residential Risks
Public Liability
- Up to £10 million cover.
This helps protect you if a dog in your care is involved in an incident that results in injury or property damage to a third party. Whether this occurs inside your home, during daily routines, or in connection with your services. It also supports you if a visitor is harmed or if a pet you are boarding unintentionally causes damage to someone else’s property.
Loss of Keys
- Up to £10,000 cover.
- If you provide a pick-up and drop-off service and lose a client’s house keys, we cover the costs of replacement locks and resetting alarms. This ensures their home remains secure without you facing a significant bill.
Loss of Money
- We protect up to £5,000 of your boarding fees (if in cash) against theft or loss while held at your home or while you are on your way to the bank to make a deposit.
Protecting Your Household Business
Equipment Cover
- £250 included as standard (options to increase up to £30,000).
- Standard home insurance often excludes business-use items. We cover your professional-grade crates, stair gates, specialised bedding, and even the tablets or laptops you use for bookings against theft or accidental damage.
Close Family Extension
- Home boarding is often a household effort. This extension ensures that your spouse or children are covered under your Public Liability while they are helping you look after your guests, meaning you may not need separate Employers’ Liability for family assistance.
Employers’ Liability – up to £10 million
A legal requirement if you hire any outside help, such as part-time walkers or cleaners, to assist with your boarding business.
Legal Expenses – up to £100,000
Access to a 24-hour helpline for advice on local authority licensing, contract disputes with clients, or tax queries.
Professional Indemnity
Protects you if a client claims your professional advice or a failure in your boarding standards caused them a financial loss.
Personal Accident
Provides a financial benefit if you are injured while boarding pets and are unable to continue working.
- Local Authority Licensing: Your policy may be invalid if you are boarding dogs without the required local authority licence for your property.
- Banned Breeds: Any dogs or crossbreeds classified under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
- Property Damage to Your Own Home: This policy covers damage to third-party property, not damage caused by boarding pets to your own furniture or carpets, for example.
- Pre-existing Medical Conditions: Any illness or injury the animal had before arriving at your home for their stay.
- If your services extend to dog walking, you are limited to walk a maximum of 6 dogs at one time.
Why do you need pet home boarding insurance?
Your clients have faith that you will take the utmost care of their pets during their time with you. Part of this responsibility is to plan for the unexpected, including when things go wrong.
Specialist pet home boarding insurance is necessary protection for these unexpected incidents and is sensible preparation in case a claim is made against you, helping you avoid expensive financial losses.
Protects against claims should a member of the public get injured.
A dog in your care causes injury to a member of the public; a customer slips and injures themselves on your business premises; you cause accidental damage to your clients’ property whilst delivering your services.
Ensure that unexpected incidents don’t damage your finances with the right level of public liability cover.
An employee or temporary worker suffers an accident at work.
Your employees may be at risk of accidents or injuries during their work. If employees work for you, employers’ liability is a legal obligation with fines of £2500 per day for failing to comply.
Financial protection from vet expenses.
No one wants anything bad to happen to an animal, but it’s important to be prepared just in case. Imagine if a dog you’re walking suddenly gets into a scuffle and injures another dog. These things can happen unexpectedly, and it’s crucial to be prepared.
Care, Custody, and Control insurance provides coverage for these situations, ensuring that you’re protected if an animal in your care accidentally injures another, needs medical attention, or even in more serious circumstances.
Cover from costly pet care equipment losses.
Not only could equipment be expensive to replace but any losses could also impact on the service you offer if it’s not available. For example, you may store pet beds and other items which could become damaged in storage.
Equipment cover can protect against costly claims from theft, damage or loss of your items.
Our experts explain why...
“Operating a pet home boarding business involves complex risks that go beyond basic animal care. You’re responsible for multiple pets simultaneously, often from different households, staying for extended periods in your care. Our comprehensive policy protects you against the unique challenges this presents – from potential injuries during group playtime, to emergency vet visits, to property damage from extended stays.
Whether you’re facing a claim from a pet owner whose dog became ill while boarding, dealing with property damage from an anxious pet, or managing an incident between two animals in your care, our expertise in the pet care sector ensures you’re protected. We understand that boarding services face different risks than standard pet businesses, which is why our coverage specifically addresses extended care scenarios, overnight supervision, and the complexities of managing multiple pets under one roof.”
Chris Trotman, Protectivity Underwriting Manager
How much does pet boarding insurance cost?
The cost of pet home boarding insurance can vary depending on the type of business you operate, the size and additional factors. For instance, if you employ staff, it is a legal requirement to include employers’ liability insurance. Adding this will increase the cost of your premium.
Investing in pet home boarding insurance is not just about protecting you and your organisation; it’s also about having the support to focus on your clients and developing your service knowing you have everything covered.
At Protectivity our cover starts at £5.41* per month, providing comprehensive cover for a small price.
Prices from
£5.41* a month
Explainer quote
Policy cost
£5.41* a month
Policy type
Pet Home Boarding Insurance
Policy duration
Annual
Public Liability
£1,000,000
Care, Custody and Control
£100,000
Equipment cover
£250
Close family cover
Included
This example is based on a real quote from our website on 05/01/2026. If your circumstances and cover needs differ, your quote may be more or less expensive than the above example. The quote you receive will reflect the information you share about your event. The quoted price may vary from those displayed here.
Have a question?
For further information on your policy, renewals, making a claim and contacting us, you’ll find an extensive list of FAQs on our Help & Support page.
Why choose Protectivity for your pet home boarding insurance policy?
Let the reviews of over 3,500 customers explain why you should choose us.¹
Trusted by over 180,000 customers.
Experienced insurance providers for over 30 years.
Over 3,500 highly rated reviews.
Proof of our excellent customer service.
Experienced Claims Handling
A smooth and efficient claims process.
UK Based Customer Support
Our UK sales team are here to help.
Frequently
Asked Questions
How does my policy handle long-term boarding arrangements?
You may board an animal for as long as the arrangement with the owner is in place and you are adhering to the requirements of your local authority.
Am I covered for providing additional services like grooming during boarding?
Yes as standard, you are covered for the following business activities with our Pet Business Insurance policy:
- Dog and Cat Grooming
- Dog Hydrotherapy
- Dog Training
- Dog Walking (For walking up to six dogs)
- Pet Behaviourist
- Pet Boarding
- Pet Microchipping
- Pet Minding
- Pet Sitting
- Pet Taxi
- Pet Transportation
What records do I need to keep for each boarded pet?
In your records, you must maintain a register containing:
- a description of all the animals the Insured kept
- the arrival and departure dates of the animals
- the name and address of the animal(s) owners
What happens if a client’s pet damages another client’s pet’s belongings?
This would be covered up to the limits shown in the policy document under Public Liability.
How does seasonal business affect my coverage?
We are unable to provide you with seasonal coverage, our policies are available on an annual basis only.
However, you may cancel at any time for a pro-rated refund for the unused portion of your policy, minus any applicable cancellation fees and providing no claims are in process. Please call or email us to discuss your specific situation and to process the cancellation should this be required.
Am I covered for pet meet-and-greet sessions before boarding?
Yes, providing the meet and greet sessions are for the purpose of the business activities we are covering you for.
What happens if a boarded pet escapes from my premises?
This would be covered under by our Care Custody and Control cover or non-negligent cover depending on what the situation of the injury is and provided you have complied with any endorsements.
What coverage do I need for outdoor exercise areas and play equipment?
No, we cannot provide cover for food and supplies as these would be considered stock and our Pet Boarding insurance does not provide cover for stock.
How does my policy cover dog walking as part of boarding services?
As standard, you are covered for the following business activities with our Pet Business Insurance policy:
- Dog and Cat Grooming
- Dog Hydrotherapy
- Dog Training
- Dog Walking (For walking up to six dogs)
- Pet Behaviourist
- Pet Boarding
- Pet Microchipping
- Pet Minding
- Pet Sitting
- Pet Taxi
- Pet Transportation
What happens if pets under my care fight with each other?
If an animal causes injury to another animal during your care, these incidents would be covered under our Care, Custody and Control of animals benefit.
Does my policy cover loss of income if I have to close due to disease outbreak?
Unfortunately, our Pet Boarding policy does not provide cover for forced business closure.
What insurance do I need for overnight pet boarding versus day care?
Our Pet Business insurance provides cover for both Pet Minding and Pet Home Boarding, however if it is a requirement of your local authority that you hold a valid Animal Boarding Establishment Licence then you would need to have this in place for the policy to be valid for boarding animals.
Am I covered for administering medication to pets in my care?
You would need to ensure that you have attended a training course demonstrating how to administer medication to pets. Perhaps through a local veterinary centre.
You will also need to make sure you have a signed document between you and the owner in place stating the following:
- The owner gives you permission to administer the medication
- You have been shown how to administer the medication by the owner (with a description of how to administer/time of day/with or without food)
- You know what medication to administer and how much (with a description/name/type of medication and the correct dosage level)
After the above has been obtained, we would be happy to cover you.
Please note, we cannot cover any pre-existing conditions. Whilst we would be happy to cover claims falling under the administering of medications, we cannot cover claims to do with the condition itself. For example, if a dog under your care had epilepsy, and it were to suffer from a seizure, we would not be able to cover any claim.
Does my insurance cover transportation of pets to and from my boarding facility?
Yes, our pet business insurance provides cover for pet transportation as standard providing this is for the purpose of the business activities.
What happens if a pet needs emergency veterinary attention during my care?
Care, Custody, and Control coverage protects you if an animal is lost, injured, becomes ill, or suffers a fatality while in your care resulting in veterinary bills.
What’s not covered under Animal boarding activities?
No cover if you don’t hold a valid Animal Boarding Establishment Licence when required by local authority.
You must comply with specific boarding conditions including:
- Suitable accommodation requirements
- Adequate food, drink and bedding provision
- Regular exercise requirements
- Emergency safeguarding procedures
- Infectious disease protection measures
Discover more from Protectivity
This page content has been created for general information and should not be taken as advice.
*Prices quoted refer to a quote raised from our website 05/01/2026. Prices will differ depending on requirements. Make sure you have the correct level of cover for what you need. For the most accurate pricing, please get a quote and for full details on what is covered refer to our policy documentation with your quote.
** Based on Protectivity sales data from 2007 to Dec 2025
ˆ10% introductory discount applies to the first-year policy premium only and is not available to current Pet Business customers. This discount does not apply to the optional Legal Expenses benefit. Protectivity reserves the right to amend or withdraw this offer without notice. Available to UK residents only.
¹Based on live Feefo data