What type on insurance is needed for an animal shelter?

Question

I am starting a no kill animal shelter. What are all of types on insurances I need?

Answer 1

Pretty much just general liability, workers compensation, and property coverage.

Answer 2

At the very least obtain Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurance. Depending on the size of the shelter, you may become responsible for quite a number of animals of various sizes in various states of physical and mental conditions. Therefore the liability exposure is quite large considering there is the possibility both of an animal escaping and causing injury/property damage AND the numerous tripping/knock down/slip-and-fall hazards associated with your operation. Get as high a limit as you can afford.

Most CGL policies exclude pollution/environmental damage, or if they do it will be severely limited in terms of coverages/limits. You will have to assess the potential for causing environmental/pollution damage, in a worst case scenario basis, to neighbouring properties, roadways, utilities, etc, and discuss this coverage with your broker.

If you provide any sort of veterinary services, even as simple as dispensing medication prescribed by another vet, you may want to consider professional liability policy.    

Beyond this you may want to consider property coverages to cover the equipment you'll purchase as well as stock such as animal feed, medicines, etc. that may be destroyed in a fire or some other peril covered under the policy. If you are renting a space/property to carry out the operation, you will want to insure the improvement/modifications/renovations you did to the property to conduct your operations. This is because if your place is destroyed by a fire, for example, the landlord's policy would only have to rebuild the building and the four walls of your space. They would not have to rebuild the space as it was before the fire. Your policy would respond to rebuild the space to the way it was before. However if your contents limit is $10,000, which represents the value of the stock and equipment, and you spent $50,000 on the space for additional wiring, improved drainage, new flooring, etc., you would be under insured by quite a large amount. There would not be enough funds to replace your equipment/stock and your improvements and betterments. Obviously if you own the building/property you would have to ensure that the buildings used are insured to their proper value.

Answer 3

First and foremost a comprehensive general liability policy protecting you and your shelter.  It will take care of your public liability exposure.  Then you can look at protecting your assets.  Property insurance can cover your building, its contents, and other real property you might own.  This is assumong that your business will not own an automobile.  I suggest using a local independant agent.

Answer 4

Business Policy with Property (coverage for building and business personal property), Liability, and loss of income coverage.  (Yes, non for profit organization can get loss of income coverage for covered losses such as fire, windstorms, theft, etc).