A guide to TrustedHousesitters pet sitting cover

Pets are happiest at home, and vets agree! Whilst we always put pets first, we also want to make sure all of our members feel as safe, reassured, and stress-free as possible. 

Whilst we don’t provide any insurance products at TrustedHousesitters, many of our membership plans include policies tailored to give you extra peace of mind. After all, we want humans to feel as relaxed as the animals do, and our plans aim to do just that! 

So, what is pet sitting insurance - do you need it? And what plans are already included in a TrustedHousesitters membership? All good questions! Let’s dig a little deeper, shall we…

Why do I need pet sitting insurance?

It’s safe to say that most of our house and pet sits go without a hitch! Most of the time nothing bad will happen, you’ll have a new pet pal, or you’ll come home to find a happy and rested pet. 

However, it’s always better to be overly cautious. After all, nobody wants a bill for damages or responsibility for something happening to the animals. It’s a ‘just in case’ that’s an extra add-on you won’t even have to think about (hopefully)!

We highly encourage our members to arrange any suitable insurance they feel is necessary for their sit and travel plans. For example, if you're a sitter and considering sits abroad, we advise you to look into relevant travel and health insurance.

Trusted tip! For our Standard and Premium sitter members, they have the benefit of our Accident & Third Party Liability Plan, with Premium members also getting the added benefit of our Sit Cancellation Plan. We’ll go into more detail about what’s included in these policies further down below. 

How much does pet sitter insurance cost?

Pet sitting insurance in the UK (classed as business cover) generally starts at £6.50 per month. Be sure to read the fine print on these, however, as not all pets (horses, farm animals, fish) will be covered. 

Across the pond in the US, pet sitting also requires a business cover. These plans start at about $11 per month. A tad pricer than the UK, but it’ll be fly on the windshield if your new pooch pal decides they’d rather sleep inside the couch.

For pet parents, you’ll need to rely on your existing home and pet cover plans. If you’re unsure what’s included, have a chat with your provider to make sure you’re clear on what is and isn’t covered.

As mentioned above, our Standard and Premium members also have access to certain additional policies included in their membership, such as our Home and Contents Plan, Accident & Third Party Liability Plan, and Sit Cancellation Plan. Let’s take a closer look at these policies, then, and what exactly they entail…

TrustedHousesitters Home & Contents Plan - for pet parents

What is covered by the Home & Contents Plan?

Some home insurance policies won't cover leaving your home in the hands of a third party, such as a sitter. For extra peace of mind, if you have an existing home insurance policy, our Home & Contents Plan covers every sit confirmed through TrustedHousesitters at no extra cost, up to $1 million.

You're covered against property damage, theft, and public liability if a sitter has an accident in your home. 

Please note: You must have an existing home insurance policy for this additional plan to be valid.

Accident & Third Party Liability Plan - for pet sitters

What is covered by the Accident & Third Party Liability Plan?

For extra peace of mind, if a pet causes damage or injury to another person, their property, or pets whilst under your control during a sit, and this is due to negligence on your part, then you could be covered up to $1,000,000 per incident.

Sit Cancellation Plan

In addition to this, all of our Premium Pet Parent and Sitter members have access to our Sit Cancellation Plan. This means that if the pet parent cancels, the sitter is covered for up to $150 per day (up to ten days) for alternative accommodation. Likewise, if the sitter suddenly cancels, the pet parents can claim the same amount for alternative pet care. This means that nobody’s trip is ruined due to last-minute changes.

How quickly will I be covered by these plans?

If you’re a Standard or Premium TrustedHousesitters member, your cover is ready when you are! If you renew each year with one of these memberships, your cover will be continued.
For those with a Basic TrustedHousesitters membership, just a heads up that this will depend entirely on your own personal provider, and won’t be included as part of your TrustedHousesitters membership. 

What do these plans not cover?

Our tailored policies are there to give you extra peace of mind, but they can’t cover everything! To be safer than sorry(er), we’d recommend including additional cover for a few other things:

• Pet parents - make sure your pet’s insurance is up to date before the sit begins, and leave details of the policy on your pet sitter’s checklist.
• Sitters - travel insurance, this can be super helpful if you have a last-minute cancellation.
• Sitters - health insurance, make sure this is all checked and up to date, especially if you’re sitting abroad.

Next, let’s have a look at some of the wonderfully adorable pets looking for pet pals to care for them, or check out our list of lovely, verified sitters who could be paw-fect for your pets.