Pet Sitting Insurance
Insurance for pet sitters, including 14 different activities, from only £5.41* per month.
- Protecting over 26,000 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 sitting insurance cover?
Our insurance for pet sitters provides essential protection against everyday risks, including standard public liability cover. You can select the level of cover that matches your business needs.
We offer specialist options such as loss of key cover, equipment cover, and care, custody, and control, all can be customised to meet your specific needs. Whether you operate an ad hoc pet sitting service or day to day, at your home or at your clients’ homes, our customer support team is ready to help you choose the right coverage and answer any questions you may have.
Our policy includes 14 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 the activities you offer 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
Public Liability
- Up to £10 million of cover.
- Protection from claims by a third-party who sustains injuries or has their property damaged, whereby you or your business is responsible.
Loss of Keys
- Key Cover up to £10,000.
- Cover includes new keys and locks, the cost of re-setting intruder alarms and associated call-out costs if you were to lose them.
Care, Custody & Control
- Cover up to £100,000 – £25,000 limit for any one Animal.
- If an animal in your care (or your staff) is: Accidentally lost, suffers an injury, becomes ill, suffers a fatality.
Equipment
- £250 of equipment included.
- Increase up to £30,000 of equipment cover.
- Grooming, training and other business tools covered.
- Protection against theft, loss and accidental damage, allowing you to replace items to the value you select.
Non-Negligent Cover
- Similar to the Care, Custody and Control protection If an animal suffers during the course of service delivery through no fault of your business:
- Accidental loss, injury & illness, death of an animal in your care.
Close Family Extension
- Close family members are covered within the Public Liability, to assist you with your business. This includes your husband, wife, son, daughter or other close family.
- You don’t need to take out Employers’ Liability with this extension.
Loss of Money
- Cover for losses up to £1,000 or £5,000 of physical money (coins or notes) obtained through your insured activities. This money is covered while at your business premises, your home, or the home of any partner, director, or authorised employee, as well as when in transit for business trips.
- Up to £1,000 of cover for losses due to dishonest acts by any employee. Claims must be made within 14 days of discovering the loss, and you should take all reasonable steps to prevent such losses.
Travel Expense Reimbursement
- If a pet in your care is accidentally killed, stolen, or goes missing for more than 48 hours, we’ll cover the owner’s extra travel expenses. So, if the owner has to cut their holiday short because of their pet’s death, for example, we’ll reimburse up to £1,000 of their extra costs.
Employers’ Liability
- Up to £10 million of cover.
- Protection from claims against employee incidents if someone suffers a work-related injury and brings a claim against you.
Legal Expenses
- Up to £100,000 indemnity for legal defence and tax protection.
- Access to 24-hour helpline, for legal, tax, or counselling, to support you in running your business.
Professional Indemnity
- Up to £1 million.
- This protects you from damages caused by your mistakes, errors, or negligence in your professional work, including those made by your employees.
Personal Accident
- Up to £25,000, subject to those insured being under eighty (80) years of age.
- This policy covers specified individuals for any accidents that may occur while conducting the insured business activities. It is a benefit policy that provides fixed amounts based on the type of injury sustained, including coverage for accidental death, loss of sight or limbs, and temporary total disablement.
- Dog walkers are limited to walk a maximum of 6 dogs at one time.
- Dogs or crossbreeds of dogs classified under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. Refer to government websites for updates in the law.
- Pre-existing medical conditions in animals.
- Injuries to animals you own can occur during incidents that happen while caring for other animals or during your personal time.
- Caring for non-domestic animals.
- Your business operating without a licence when a licence is a mandatory requirement e.g. animal boarding.
For further information on exclusions in your cover please refer to policy documentation.
Why do you need pet sitting cover?
Your clients trust that their pets are in safe hands while under your care. To fulfil this responsibility, it’s crucial to prepare for the unexpected.
Specialist pet sitting insurance provides essential protection against unforeseen events. It helps you avoid costly losses from potential claims. You can read our blog addressing Do you need insurance to pet sit?
Here are some typical scenarios illustrating why insurance is vital for pet businesses:
Protection against claims if a member of the public gets injured.
In case a dog in your care causes injury to a member of the public or you cause accidental damage to your clients’ property whilst delivering your services, public liability will protect you if claims arise from these incidents.
Vet expenses if accidents happen.
Even if an animal is insured by their owners any accident, illness, or loss in your care will be deemed your responsibility. Whilst no one wants harm to come to any animal it’s important to ensure you are covered to get them treatment if accidents happen.
Care, Custody, and Control offers you protection if an animal is lost, injured, becomes ill, or suffers a fatality while in your care.
Cover for 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, grooming salon equipment becomes damaged or training equipment goes missing during a session.
Loss of a client’s key.
If you access your clients’ property and are responsible for their door keys, losing them could be a significant issue. Loss of key cover covers the cost of new keys and locks, the cost of re-setting intruder alarms and associated call-out costs, so a simple mistake doesn’t lead to substantial costs.
Protect family members who work for you.
If your close family works for you such as your husband, wife, son, daughter or other close family you can get cover to protect them against liability claims, whilst assisting with your business operation, under your policy without the need of including Employers’ Liability.
Any workers other than a family member would need to be covered under Employers’ Liability. If employees work for you, employers’ liability is a legal obligation with fines of £2500 per day for failing to comply.
Our experts explain why...
“Caring for an animal carries a risk and this is heightened further so when caring for another person’s animal, even if they are domestic. Our policy ensures that if that animal were to harm you, a person in your employment, a member of the public or themselves, that you can stay protected against potential financial losses related to reimbursing those that try to claim damages from you. Whether it be reimbursing the owner of the animal for vet bills arising from an injury when walking a dog or a claim costing thousands of pounds caused by a dog in your care, biting a member of the public, you can rest assure our claim experts will handle your claim with care and priority.”
Mandy Czyz, Protectivity Underwriter
How much does pet sitting insurance cost?
The cost of pet sitting 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.
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 Sitting Insurance
Policy duration
Annual
Public Liability
£1,000,000
Care, Custody and Control
£100,00
Loss of Keys
£10,000
Equipment cover
£250
Close family cover
Included
This example is based on a real quote from our website on 1/10/2024. 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 sitting insurance policy?
Let the reviews of over 3,500 customers explain why you should choose us.¹
Trusted by over 150,000 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
What pets are covered?
At Protectivity, we cover most domestic animals as standard as part of our pet sitting insurance cover including dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, reptiles, fish and more. If you’re unsure as to what cover you need, give us a call today on 01494 887909
Do you need a licence to be a pet sitter?
In the UK, you generally do not need a specific license to be a pet sitter. However, if you’re planning to operate a business that involves the care of animals, there are certain regulations and guidelines you should be aware of:
Animal Welfare Act 2006: Any person responsible for a pet must ensure the welfare needs of animals are met. This includes providing a suitable environment, food and water, the ability to exhibit normal behavior patterns, appropriate companionship, and protection from pain, suffering, injury, and disease.
Local Council Regulations: Depending on the specific services you provide and how you operate your business, you might need to comply with certain local council regulations. For example, if you look after dogs from multiple households at your own home, you may need a home boarding license.
DBS Check: Although not mandatory, having a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check can be beneficial for building trust with your clients, as it shows you do not have a criminal background.
Do you need insurance to be a pet sitter?
As a pet sitter, you’re responsible for the care and protection of your client’s pets whilst they’re in your care. It is strongly advised that you get adequate cover for your business to protect against things like injury to yourself, another person or the pet, equipment damage, or loss of client’s keys.
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About our service
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 01/10/2024. 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 1st Oct ’23 to 30th Sep ’24
ˆ10% discount for policies bought online and applies only to the first-year of your policy premium. Protectivity reserves the right to amend or withdraw this offer at any time. Available to UK residents only.
¹Based on live Feefo data