Pets bring company, chaos, and the occasional chewed table leg. Insurers are aware of all three. Whether that affects your home insurance cost depends less on affection for animals and more on how risk is defined on the policy.
Most home insurance policies do not ask detailed questions about pets. That doesn’t mean pets are irrelevant.
Do pets increase home insurance premiums?
In most cases, simply owning a pet does not raise your premium.
Insurers rarely rate policies directly on whether you have a dog, cat, rabbit, or something more exotic. Premiums are usually driven by property type, location, claims history, and security.
Where pets matter is in claims, not pricing.
Damage caused by pets
Pet damage sits in a tricky area.
Most policies exclude wear and tear, gradual damage, and maintenance issues. That catches a lot of pet-related problems.
- Scratched doors and floors
- Chewed furniture or skirting boards
- Stained carpets and soft furnishings
These are often treated as ongoing damage rather than sudden accidents.
Accidental damage and pets
Accidental damage cover can help, but it has limits.
If a pet knocks over a television or damages something in a single, identifiable incident, that may be treated differently from repeated behaviour over time.
Insurers look for a clear event, not a pattern.
Liability and pets
Pets can create liability risks, especially dogs.
If a pet injures someone or damages property belonging to others, liability cover under a home insurance policy may respond.
This usually applies to incidents at or away from the home, but conditions and exclusions apply.
Breed, size, and insurer concerns
Home insurers generally do not rate policies by breed or size.
That said, some policies exclude liability for certain breeds or impose conditions. This is more common in liability sections than in damage cover.
Reading that section matters more than many people realise.
Pets and rented properties
Tenants often assume damage caused by pets is an insurance issue. It usually isn’t.
Landlord insurance covers the building, not damage caused by tenants or their animals. Contents insurance for tenants may also exclude pet damage.
Deposits and tenancy agreements often become the real battleground.
Exotic pets and unusual risks
Fish tanks, reptiles, birds, and similar pets introduce different risks.
Escaped water from aquariums, heat lamps, or specialist enclosures can cause damage that insurers treat carefully.
Some policies exclude damage caused by animals other than domestic pets.
Do you need to tell your insurer?
In most cases, you do not need to declare standard domestic pets.
If a pet changes how the property is used, introduces unusual equipment, or creates additional risks, disclosure becomes more relevant.
Assumptions are rarely helpful at claim stage.
Security and pets
Pets can affect security expectations.
Doors left open for animals, windows adjusted for ventilation, or reliance on pet doors can all be questioned after a theft.
Insurers look at outcomes, not intentions.
Why claims involving pets often disappoint
Most frustration comes from misunderstanding what insurance is designed to cover.
- Ongoing pet damage treated as wear
- Liability exclusions not noticed
- Assuming accidental damage applies broadly
Pets rarely increase the cost of home insurance. They do increase the chances of discovering where cover ends. Knowing that boundary in advance makes living with animals, and insurers, a lot easier.