Son and Dog Are Tenants, Not Resident Relatives
November 15, 2016
The insured owns a rental home that is insured on a Dwelling Fire policy. The liability for the rented home is endorsed to the Dwelling Fire policy. The tenant of the rented home is the insured's adult son. The adult son owns a dog that bit another individual. How do you see liability coverage, if any, applying in this situation? The Dwelling Fire liability policy has the following wording:
Definitions:
3. "Insured" means you and residents of your household who are a. Your relatives; b. Other persons under the age of 21 and in the care of any person named above c. with respect to animals or watercraft to which this policy applies, any person or organization legally responsible for these animals or watercraft which are owned by you or any person included in 3.1. or 3.b. above. A person or organization using or having custody of these animals or watercraft in the course of any "business" or without consent of the owner is not an "insured".
Ohio Subscriber
Unless the insured is living in the dwelling with the son, the son is not considered an insured—he is a tenant like anyone else. Therefore, the son would need to have his own liability policy in order to have coverage for the dog bite. The liability is for the insured, the father, not his tenants. Being a relative does not automatically make one an insured, especially when they live in separate residences. This is something most insureds do not understand. Unless the father is somehow found legally liable, there is no coverage.
This premium content is locked for FC&S Coverage Interpretation Subscribers
Enjoy unlimited access to the trusted solution for successful interpretation and analyses of complex insurance policies.
- Quality content from industry experts with over 60 years insurance experience, combined
- Customizable alerts of changes in relevant policies and trends
- Search and navigate Q&As to find answers to your specific questions
- Filter by article, discussion, analysis and more to find the exact information you’re looking for
- Continually updated to bring you the latest reports, trending topics, and coverage analysis
Already have an account? Sign In Now
For enterprise-wide or corporate access, please contact our Sales Department at 1-800-543-0874 or email [email protected]