Dog bite 2 excesses? Advice please

smithers1981

Hi sadly my dog bit someone and they are putting in a claim.

Dog has been put down.

I have rang pet insurer morethan and they have asked for details of my contents insurance provider.

Both insurerance policies have 3rd party liability and morethan are suggesting a joint claim with my home insurance provider.

This will result in me having to pay 2 excesses for one claim which seems unfair as had I not bothered taking out pet insurance I would have been better off.

Is there anyway I can avoid both excesses ideally I don’t want to claim on my contents at all.

Thanks

Quentin

Are you sure you have to pay two excesses?


Normally the advice is to claim off the policy with the smallest excess and let the insurers sort it out

smithers1981

The lady I spoke to asked for details and said it could result in me paying both excesses i!!!8217;m not sure where I legally stand do I have to give details?

smithers1981

Not sure if they trying it on?

Quentin

Yes you do need to give details of your other policy.


But do claim off the one with the cheapest excess!

smithers1981

It sounds from conversation as if I have no say has to who I claim from. Pet excess £250 and contents £200 was leaning towards pet insurance as it!!!8217;s now cancelled and don!!!8217;t want to increase home contents premiums in future.

paddyandstumpy

Under your home insurance, would a Liability claim still attract an excess? I appreciate all policies are different but when I did Home insurance our product wouldn't apply an excess to PL claims.

Also, if you claim under your home insurance the claim will be disclosable for the next 5 years.

If you claim under the pet insurance, given the pet has now been put down (sorry for your loss) I presume cover is no longer required, so personally I'd claim on this policy which will be cancelled anyway.

If the pet insurer then chooses to seek a contribution from your HH insurer that is up to them, my point is if you don't make a claim under your HH insurance there isn't anything to declare (IMO).

smithers1981

Makes sense thanks and yes cover no longer needed, I will provide pet insurer with details and leave them to sort it out.

Zorillo

A liability claim will be disclosable whichever policy you claim under, assuming an insurers questioning requires it to be.

Usually you'd pay half of your excess to both insurers in a situation where both were dealing with a claim, but I can see no reason why both would need to deal with this one. The pet insurer could attempt to subrogate against the household insurer, that is up to them.

lisyloo

The lady I spoke to asked for details and said it could result in me paying both excesses

Well she said "could" and presumably she doesn't work for both insurers.
You might not have to pay an excess under the household policy.
Note there might be different excesses/none for different sections of the household policy.

Nasqueron

Bloomin heck, when I was a kid a Yorkshire terrier ran up and bit my leg through trousers, I had a tetanus jab and moved on with life...