Tampa insurer now covers dog bites

Millennial Specialty Insurance, an insurance company affiliated with The Baldwin Group in Tampa, has launched a new product aimed at protecting landlords from dogs that bite.

The standalone policy is being called a canine liability insurance solution and was created to provide those who own or run properties with liability coverage when a dog belonging to one of its tenants bites someone.

The company says dog-related injury claims cost U.S. insurers more than $1.1 billion annually, primarily through homeowners insurance.

MSI, the company’s brand name, says in a statement that the policy provides up to $100,000 in coverage per occurrence. It includes defense costs if a covered claim leads to legal action.

The new product features breed-inclusive underwriting, which means there are no coverage restrictions based on a dog’s breed, the company says.

The policies start at $4 per unit, per month, and the coverage is designed to scale across portfolios of any size. There is no deductible, and landlords can add or remove units on a monthly basis, the company says.

MSI says that canine liability insurance is part of its larger portfolio of offerings for property managers, including an embedded renters insurance product that works directly with leading property management platforms.

MSI is an indirect subsidiary of The Baldwin Insurance Group, Inc. and offers more than 20 insurance products across personal, commercial, and professional lines. It currently serves more than 1.5 million customers.