Boarding Kennels Insurance
Are you looking for specialist insurance for your boarding kennels business? At Chris Knott Insurance, we understand that running a boarding kennel involves unique risks and responsibilities. Our dedicated Boarding Kennels Insurance offers comprehensive protection tailored specifically to the needs of professional animal boarding facilities, ensuring peace of mind while you care for your clients’ beloved pets.
What makes insuring a boarding kennel different?
Boarding kennels face distinctive insurance challenges unlike standard business operations. Your facility houses other people’s cherished pets in a controlled environment, with staff managing multiple animals with different temperaments, health needs, and behaviours. This creates unique liability considerations and property requirements.
Your kennels likely include specialised accommodation units, exercise areas, grooming facilities, and food preparation spaces. You may also have valuable equipment specific to animal care and management. Standard commercial insurance policies often fail to address these specialised needs, making dedicated boarding kennels insurance essential.
The responsibility of caring for living animals brings additional risks beyond typical business concerns. Animals can become ill, injured, or escape; property damage can occur from animal behaviour; and liability extends to both the pets in your care and their owners visiting your premises.
Why do you need specialist boarding kennels insurance?
General business insurance policies rarely provide adequate protection for boarding kennels operations. They typically overlook critical aspects of your business, including:
- Care, custody and control of animals – Standard policies often exclude liability for animals temporarily in your care, leaving a significant gap in your protection.
- Escape of animals – The potential for animals to escape requires specific coverage that considers the associated liability and recovery costs.
- Animal illness or injury – Without specialist cover, you could be personally liable for veterinary costs if an animal becomes ill or injured while in your care.
- Specialist property and equipment – Your purpose-built kennels and animal care equipment require appropriate valuation and coverage.
- Multiple liability scenarios – From dog bites to owner injuries while dropping off pets, boarding kennels face diverse liability situations requiring comprehensive protection.
Our tailored Boarding Kennels Insurance understands these unique risks and provides appropriate coverage to protect your business, staff, clients, and the animals in your care.
What does boarding kennels insurance cover?
Our Boarding Kennels Insurance policies can be customised to your specific requirements, typically including:
Public Liability Insurance
Essential protection if a client, visitor or member of the public suffers injury or property damage related to your business activities. This covers legal costs and compensation claims, with limits available up to £5 million to meet licensing requirements.
Care, Custody and Control Cover
Specific protection for animals while they’re in your care, covering veterinary fees if animals become ill or injured during their stay through no fault of negligence.
Buildings Insurance
Comprehensive protection for your kennel structures, including runs, exercise areas, office space, and any specialist animal housing units against risks like fire, flood, and storm damage.
Contents Insurance
Coverage for business equipment, computers, animal care supplies, food stocks, and other contents essential to your operations.
Employers’ Liability Insurance
Mandatory cover if you employ staff, protecting against claims from employees who may suffer illness or injury as a result of their work.
Business Interruption Insurance
Financial protection if your kennels cannot operate due to an insured event, helping cover ongoing costs and lost income while you recover.
Commercial Vehicle Insurance
Coverage for vans or other vehicles used in connection with your kennel business, including animal transport if required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Several factors influence the cost of your boarding kennels insurance:
- Business size and turnover – The scale of your operation, including the number of kennel units and annual revenue, directly impacts premium costs.
- Security measures – Comprehensive security systems, including CCTV, alarmed perimeters, and secure animal housing can positively influence your premiums.
- Claims history – Previous insurance claims may affect future premiums, highlighting the importance of robust risk management procedures.
- Experience and qualifications – Professional animal care qualifications and experience in kennel management demonstrate competence and may reduce insurance costs.
- Property construction – The building materials, age, and condition of your kennels facilities will factor into buildings insurance calculations.
- Location – Your geographical location affects risk assessment, particularly regarding crime rates and environmental factors like flood risk.
When arranging your insurance, having the following information ready will streamline the process:
- Local authority licence details and any associated inspection reports
- Business records including boarding terms and conditions
- Details of staff training and qualifications
- Security arrangements and property information
- Animal handling procedures and risk assessments
- Health and safety policies relevant to your business
- Claims history from previous insurance arrangements
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