BREAKING: ‘Half of tenants would take out pet insurance against damage’, says expert

Half of all tenants who want to rent a home with their pet would be prepared to take out specialist insurance to cover their landlord against damage, a leading campaigner has revealed.

Jennifer Berezai of AdvoCATS has researched an in-depth report into whether there is an appetite among financial firms and tenants to embrace insurance as the ‘silver bullet’ to settle the pet debate within the sector once and for all.

Quoting a YouGov polled completed just a few weeks ago, Berezai says 53% of pet owners, including 57% among dog owners and 55% among cat owners respectively, indicated that they would be willing to pay for specialised pet insurance, if priced reasonably to them and required by a landlord.

Berezai says there are several insurers currently interested in this kind of product but whose policies are either lightly marketed, limited in scope or in the case of Just Landlords, yet to be launched.

These include Endsleigh, the Alan Boswell Group, Just Landlords, One Broker and My Urban Jungle. 

One other insurance provider, Hamilton Fraser, is also considering a move into this market once its insurance partners have been consulted.

“As a specialist insurance broker we recognise that landlords may need added protection in the event of damage caused by pets whether this be by additional insurance cover or legislation being amended to allow pet deposits,” says spokesperson Terri Dune.

Commenting on MP Andrew Rosindell’s attempts to get a bill through parliament that would establish a tenant’s right to have a pet, Berezai (pictured below) says: “The absolute cornerstone of the bill is responsible pet ownership, so as you would a car or a business, taking out appropriate insurance against pet damage to a property you don’t own can only help underline responsibility.

“Enshrining the right for a landlord to request that such a policy is held in order to allow pets in their property in law – by amending the Tenant Fees Act to make this a Permitted Payment – will go a very long way to achieving the ultimate goal of #APetInEveryHome.”
 

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