Guide · Insurance
Dog Boarding Insurance Cost: What a Home Boarder Should Quote
By Dave Waggins, 6-year home boarder, founder of Houndtrust
Published August 13, 2026 · ~8 min read
The important insurance question is not “what is the cheapest pet sitter policy?” It is whether the policy covers paying clients' dogs inside your home, in the number and way you actually board them. Get that answer first. Compare prices after.
I run a home boarding business, but I am not an insurance agent. This guide shows the questions I would take to a licensed commercial agent. Coverage, definitions, and state requirements differ. Only the policy and its endorsements decide what is covered.
Current price reference
$53 per month
Insureon reports this as the median general liability cost for kennels and pet boarding businesses that apply for quotes through its platform. Its article was modified July 7, 2025. This is not a home-boarding quote and not the cost of every coverage below. See the source and current policy medians.
Why the cheapest number can be the wrong number
Paid boarding changes the exposure inside a personal residence. Pet Care Affiliates warns that homeowners and renters policies commonly exclude business-related liability, and that home boarders need business coverage that specifically includes animals staying in the home. Its in-home boarding coverage article also describes dog-to-dog injuries as a frequent source of claims in its program.
Call your home insurer before launch. Tell it exactly what will happen at the property, including how many dogs may stay, whether your own pets are present, and whether clients enter for drop-off. Then ask a commercial agent to quote the business exposure. Keep both answers in writing.
Coverage to ask about
General liability
Usually addresses third-party bodily injury, property damage, and related claims. Ask how dog bites, visitors, delivery drivers, and damage outside your home are handled.
Animal bailee or care, custody, and control
Addresses a client's pet while it is entrusted to you. Ask about dog-to-dog injuries, escape, illness, death, veterinary bills, per-animal limits, aggregate limits, and deductibles.
In-home boarding endorsement
The policy needs to match dogs staying at your residence for money. A pet-sitting policy built only for visits in a client's home is a different risk.
Business property or a BOP
May cover business equipment and combine property with liability. Ask what happens to gates, crates, cameras, and supplies, and what your personal home policy excludes.
Commercial auto or hired and non-owned auto
Matters if you transport client dogs or use a vehicle for the business. A personal auto policy may not match paid business use.
Workers' compensation
May be required when you hire. Check your state rules before a helper, employee, or contractor begins handling dogs for the business.
Pet Care Insurance describes animal bailee as a core part of its pet-sitting policy, and says its product also includes general liability and veterinary bill reimbursement, subject to policy terms. That is a useful vocabulary check when comparing policies, not an endorsement of one provider. Read its current coverage description.
Use the same facts for every quote
Give each agent the same business description so the prices are comparable.
- Business address and whether you own or rent
- Maximum dogs and households at one time
- Annual boarding revenue estimate
- Your own pets in the home
- Dog sizes, puppies, and special-care services
- Fenced yard, pool, stairs, and other property risks
- Transportation or pickup services
- Employees, contractors, or household helpers
- Prior claims, bites, escapes, or property losses
- Requested limits, deductible, and effective date
Read the exclusions out loud
Ask the agent to point to the policy language for in-home boarding and client animals in your care. Ask how the policy treats dog-to-dog injuries, your own pet, damage to your own home, communicable disease, escape, bites, puppies, aggressive dogs, unattended animals, pools, transportation, and animals above the declared capacity. Write down the answers, then compare the same limits and deductibles across quotes.
The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends assessing risks, using a licensed agent, comparing rates and terms, and reviewing coverage as the business changes. Its business-insurance guide is a good neutral checklist.
Put the premium in the startup budget
Use the agent's actual monthly or annual quote in the dog boarding startup cost calculator. Do not use the $53 median as your budget when the policy, services, or limits are different. The companion home boarding startup guide puts insurance in the full launch sequence.
Common questions
How much does dog boarding insurance cost?
There is no single price for every home boarder. Insureon currently reports a $53 monthly median for general liability policies bought by kennels and pet boarding businesses that request quotes through its platform. That is a reference point, not a quote for your home. Location, services, revenue, employees, number of animals, limits, deductibles, claims history, and whether the policy specifically covers in-home boarding can change the price.
Does homeowners insurance cover a dog boarding business?
Do not assume it does. Personal homeowners and renters policies commonly exclude business-related liability, and a client dog in your care creates a business exposure. Tell both your home insurer and a licensed commercial insurance agent that paying clients' dogs will stay in your home, then get the answer and any endorsement in writing.
What is animal bailee or care, custody, and control coverage?
It is coverage aimed at injury, illness, loss, or death involving a client's animal while the animal is in your care, subject to the policy's limits, deductible, exclusions, and terms. General liability alone may not cover property or animals entrusted to you, so ask where this protection appears in the policy and whether its limit applies per animal, per occurrence, or in total.
Do I need workers' compensation if I board dogs alone?
Usually it becomes relevant when you hire employees, but requirements vary by state and business structure. A spouse, contractor, helper, or occasional worker may not be treated the way you expect. Ask a licensed agent and your state workers' compensation authority about your specific setup before anyone starts helping with paid work.
Should I buy the cheapest pet sitter policy?
Compare what is covered before comparing the premium. A low-cost policy that excludes in-home boarding, client animals in your care, dog-to-dog injuries, transportation, or the number of dogs you actually board may not match the business. Compare limits, deductibles, exclusions, endorsements, and claims handling on the same page as price.
Insure the work, then organize it.
Houndtrust keeps each client's intake, signed waiver, vet authorization, booking, updates, and money together. It does not provide insurance or replace your policy.
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