Pet sitter insurance UK: what's actually covered (and what isn't)

There's a lot of vague talk about 'insured' sitters. Insurance only matters if you know what's actually covered. Here's the short version for UK owners.

The two policies that matter

A professional pet sitter should hold two things: (1) public liability cover (typically £1–£2m), which pays out if their work injures a third party or damages property; and (2) care, custody and control cover, which pays out if your pet itself is injured, lost or killed in the sitter's care. Public liability alone is not enough — it won't cover your pet getting hurt.

How much cover is normal

Specialist insurers like Cliverton, Pet Business Insurance and Protectivity offer policies aimed at home boarders and walkers, usually £100–£300 a year. £2m of public liability + £5,000 care/custody/control is a fair baseline. Ask to see the schedule — not just a verbal 'yes I'm insured'.

Your own pet insurance and unlicensed sitters

Most UK pet insurance policies (Petplan, Bought By Many, John Lewis, Tesco etc) include a clause saying the policy is void if your pet is in the care of an unlicensed boarder when the incident happens. If you board with an unlicensed sitter and your dog needs £4,000 of vet treatment, your insurer can — and usually will — refuse to pay. This is the single biggest hidden risk of unlicensed boarding.

What to do as an owner

Before any overnight stay: confirm the licence (council public register) and ask for the insurance certificate. Both take five minutes. If you're booking through a directory, this info should already be on the sitter's profile.