Animal Liability Coverage for Landlord

[Nicholas Tocco]

Hello everyone,

My wife and I are newbie landlord's, hoping to increase our buy/hold/rent portfolio by one house/year over the next few years. We lucked out with a perfect tenant already in place in our first duplex. Now we are moving to Naples, and are currently going through the tenant screening process for the first time, to fill the other side of the duplex where we currently live.

Question: does anybody have experience procuring animal liability coverage for landlords? We know that FL is second only to California for dog bite suits, and we know that we can be held liable if a tenant's dog bites someone. After 8 hours on the phone with different insurance agents, I can't get a straight answer to how much it would cost us for coverage. I am told they only cover the dog's owner/keeper. I know requiring the tenant to have their own coverage is an option. But what about us? I am wondering what the premiums would generally run, and the difference in premiums whether we were to include "vicious breeds" or not. That number will affect whether or not I permit a tenant with a "vicious breed," and how much I require for a pet fee.

Thank you!

Nick