Insurers in Illinois now required to report dog bite claims
Home and renters insurance companies must provide certain information regarding dog bites starting January 1, 2022.
The Illinois insurance code was recently amended to require insurance companies that write homeowners insurance in the state to report to the best of their ability all dog bite claims to the state. This legislation goes into effect on January 1, 2022.
All insurance companies offering homeowners and renter insurance that issue a policy or coverage for liability for injury to a person, or injury or destruction to a property that arises out of the ownership, lease, or rental of residential property under Section 143.10d of the Illinois Code are to document the circumstances and report information, including:
- The breed of the dog and whether the identification was made visually, or by the owner, adjuster or insured;
- Where the owner of the dog obtained the dog from, such as a pet store, breeder, animal shelter or rescue organization, a friend or acquaintance, or if they found the dog or it was a stray;
- The sex of the dog and whether or not it was neutered or spayed;
- Whether or not the person injured by the dog was observed teasing, tormenting, battering, assaulting, injuring or otherwise provoking the dog;
- The type of injury that was sustained by the victim, such as fall or bite;
- Whether the injury occurred on the insured’s property or at another location, and
- Whether the dog had received any sort of obedience training, or there have been previous claims or past complaints against the dog.
The information is to be collected for a two-year period starting January 1, 2022, and shall be reported annually to the Illinois Insurance Department. The department shall make this information available on their website on July 1, 2023, and then update that information on July 1, 2024. The data and information collected by the department that contains any proprietary status or confidential information will not be released.
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