Frequently Asked Questions
Pet Owner FAQs
How do I find someone who provides pet care services in my area?
To find someone who provides pet care services in your area, you can search our directory listing.
Go to our Find a Provider page and enter your zip code into the search box.
This will search a 25-mile radius of the zip code that you entered and list any PSA member that has chosen to add on the profile directory listing option to their membership and insurance. You can read their information and contact each business for more information about their services.
How do I verify if a pet care provider is a current member?
To verify membership and insurance, you may request the one-page member certificate from the pet care provider. This has the effective dates and optional coverages listed on it. You may also ask for their five-digit member ID, which is how we confirm their membership and account.
A pet care provider I'd like to hire isn't listed in your directory. Why?
The Profile Directory Listing is optional for members, so not everyone is listed there.
Please feel free to call us at (715) 450-9513 above or email info@petsitllc.com with the PSA member's five-digit member ID. That way, we can confirm their membership status.
Membership FAQs
Help! I can't get into my account!
Help is on the way! First, try resetting your password by clicking the "Forgot username or password?" link beneath the login boxes.
Be sure to check your spam or junk folders, as sometimes those e-mails are misfiled.
Once you've logged in, change your password to something more personal (and easier to remember). On the Welcome page, click on "Update Membership Info." That will allow you to update your password.
If you are still having issues accessing your account, please email your member ID to info@petsitllc.com.
Can I pay for my membership over the phone?
We do not accept payment over the phone and require all applications and renewals be done in writing, either on our website or by mail. Please email us at info@petsitllc.com or call (715) 450-9513 for questions or a paper application by mail.
What is your cancellation policy?
Pet Sitters Associates membership and pet business insurance polices are fully earned, which means that there is no refund should the policy be cancelled mid-term. However, PSA does make some exceptions within the first 30 days of membership at the discretion of the association.
Can I work out of multiple locations?
Yes, the main member listed on the PSA membership can work out of multiple locations as long as all locations are within the United States. If you have a partner, employee, or independent contractor that works out of a different state than you, please contact us directly at (715) 450-9513 to discuss your specific situation. Depending on how your business is operated, a partner, employee, or independent contractor located in a different state may need to purchase his or her own pet business insurance policy.
How do I change the account info on our profile directory listing information?
You can manage this information by logging into your member account.
- On the "Welcome" page, click on "Update Membership Info." This will update the information that we would use to contact you: address; email; phone number. Be sure to click "Update Information" at the bottom of the page for the changes to save.
- Click on "Update Your Profile" located at the bottom of the welcome page. This will update the info listed on your profile directory, including your contact information, social media links, website, and photographs. Be sure to click on "Save Your Profile" for the changes to save.
Can you send me a receipt?
You can view your receipts in your PSA member area.
On the "Welcome" page, click on View Past Receipts. A list of receipts dates will appear. Click on any receipt date that you would like to view and/or print.
Can you send me a logo, some sample forms, and other resources?
You can find all of this (and more!) in the Resource Library of your member area.
On the "Welcome" page, click on "View the Resource Library," a red box under the words "Access important business resources."
On the Member Resources page, you will see resources on the right side of the page, under 'Business Documents.'
I sold my business. Can I transfer membership?
Yes, we can transfer your PSA Membership and Insurance to a new owner, if you provide us with the following information in writing via email:
- Your First Name & Last Name
- New Owner – First Name & Last Name
- Mailing Addresses
- Phone Numbers
- Email addresses
- Effective Date of Transfer
Insurance FAQs
What isn't covered in my pet business insurance policy?
Certain standard exclusions apply to all commercial liability policies. These include items such as expected or intended injury, certain types of contractual liabilities, communicable diseases, liquor liability, cyber liability, professional liability (unless optional grooming coverage is purchased), worker's compensation, employer's liability, pollution, aircraft, auto and owned watercraft, mobile equipment, damage to property you own or lease, war, sexual abuse, and molestation. This is intended for informational purposes only. Actual coverages apply per the terms, conditions and exclusions as contained in the insurance policy.
Other circumstances not covered include:
- Injuries to you, your employees, or independent contractors. This is not covered by general liability insurance, but coverage may be available via workers compensation insurance, depending on your state. PSA does not offer work comp coverage.
- Injuries to your pets or the pets of your employees or independent contractors.
- Damage to your personal property or personal property owned by your employees or independent contractors. General liability policies do not include this coverage.
- Injuries or property damage caused by your pets or your employees' or independent contractors' pets.
- Automobile liability coverage, including coverage for injuries to people in a car accident and/or damages caused to or by a personal or commercial vehicle driven by a member, employee/independent contractor, or incidental helper.
- Injuries or property damages caused to or by foster animals being fostered by you, your employees or independent contractors. However, the PSA program policy does provide coverage for your client's foster animals.
The bodily injury and property damage portions of this policy are for third party injuries and damages only.
What is animal liability coverage?
The animal liability coverage endorsement provides coverage for third party bodily injury and property damage claims arising out of animal related occurrences. Example, if a client dog in your care bites a third party person while on a walk, this coverage would pay for any liability that you would be legally liable to pay, up $100,000 per occurrence (or $200,000 annually).
What coverage is available for pet transporters or taxis?
The PSA basic membership provides coverage for pet transporters or taxi operations that are traveling within a 200 mile radius or less. The PSA policy provides coverage for injuries to client pets while being transported. However, the policy does not provide any automobile liability coverage, so there is no coverage for bodily injury to people in a car accident and/or damages caused to or by a personal or commercial vehicle driven by the member, employees/independent contractors, or incidental helpers (such coverage would be found within an automobile liability policy). Please note: If the client pet is not kenneled/crated or leashed in some way, then the $500 off-leash deducible would apply.
Does the PSA program policy provide coverage for the caring of horses and farm animals?
Yes, as long as the horses and farm animals are considered pets by their owners and are not used as part of a for-profit business. It's okay if byproducts of the farm animals are consumed (meat, milk, eggs) as long as the products are not sold for profit. Please note that the PSA basic membership provides a maximum of $15,000 of coverage per occurrence ($30,000 annually) for injuries to a client pet in the pet sitter's care, custody or control and that limit might not be sufficient for high-value horses or other farm animals. Higher limits are available with the purchase of the optional expanded coverage for client pets, for an additional $50.
Can I hire an employee or independent contractor covered by my PSA membership to care for my personal pets?
The Pet Sitters Associates' program insurance policy specifically excludes coverage for bodily injury and/or property damage caused to or by your personal pets, regardless if they are in your personal care or in the care of someone else covered by your PSA membership. Therefore, you should not hire a personal employee or independent contractor to care for your personal pets. To find other pet sitters who are members of PSA, please check out the "Find a Provider" tab on this website.
Where do I find my member certificate or a proof of insurance?
You can find your member certificate in your member area.
On the "Welcome" page, click on "View Insurance Certificate."
Where can I find or access the master policy?
To locate and print the master policy, log into your member area.
On the "Welcome" page, click on "View the Resource Library."
On the right side of the Member Resources page there are "Business Documents." Your policy can be found there. Make sure the policy number matches yours.
How do I add coverage or services?
To add coverage(s) to your current policy, log into your member area.
On the "Welcome" page, click on "Add Employees/Services."
Choose the correct coverage(s) that you want to add
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Proceed to Checkout"
Enter your payment information on the next page.
Please note: All additional coverage or employees / insureds added to an existing policy will expire when your current policy expires. Only the cost for additional employees are pro-rated based on when your current policy is set to expire.
Do you offer installments or do I pay for my policy and membership up front?
The policy is considered a fully earned policy and full payment is required up front. You will need to check a box to acknowledge the following statement during the application process: "I understand that PSA memberships are fully earned, which means there is no refund. However, PSA does make some exceptions within the first 30 days of membership at the discretion of the association."
However, you could purchase the basic membership and insurance for $210 to get started, and then add any of the add-on policy options to your current policy at a later date.
What coverage is available for the client animals in my care, custody or control?
There are two different portions of the PSA policy that potentially provide coverage for vet bills for client animals that are in your care, custody or control (and these are included in the PSA basic membership). The first portion is the veterinarian expense coverage and that provides up to $1,000 of coverage per occurrence (or $5,000 annually) for vet bills regardless of negligence by the pet sitter. This is a really special coverage that you get as a member of PSA as normally insurance doesn’t “kick in” unless there’s some negligence or legal liability on the part of the pet sitter. The second portion of the policy provides up to $15,000 of coverage per occurrence (or $30,000 annually) for injuries to or loss of an animal in your care. However, for this higher limit to come into play there must be some negligence on the part of the pet sitter. The insurance company claims department makes all final decisions regarding negligence. We also offer the optional expanded coverage for client pets, for an additional $50, that increases the limits available for injuries to client pets.
Do you offer "bonding"? What is the optional "broadened property damage coverage & bond"?
Per the insurance underwriter, the broadened property damage coverage & bond is an additional $100, and provides coverage of up to $10,000 per occurrence (or $25,000 annually) for theft, breakage and mysterious disappearance of the personal property of the pet owner while under the care of you, your employees, your independent contractors, or your incidental helpers. There is no coverage for theft by any employee or independent contractor that you knowingly employ that has been charged or convicted of a theft, or by the owner(s) of the business, as that is considered an intentional act. If your clients are concerned about coverage for theft by you as the owner, you can purchase a dishonesty bond through an independent insurance agent near you. However, the optional broadened property damage coverage & bond would still cover you as the owner of the business for breakage and/or mysterious disappearance of the personal property of the pet owner.
For members joining or renewing effective July 1, 2023 or later, defense costs for civil suits are included for the owner of the business as well as employees/independent contractors with a sublimit of $10,000 per occurrence. To further explain how this coverage works, if the owner of the business or a partner in the business is accused of theft, the insurance company will provide up to $10,000 in defense costs, but if it’s determined that the owner or partner is found legally responsible, then defense costs are discontinued immediately. If an employee or independent contractor is accused of theft, the insurance company will provide both the owner and the employee/IC with up to $10,000 in defense costs total, but if it’s determined that the employee/IC is found legally responsible, then the defense costs are discontinued for that person, but defense will continue for the owner of the business. The insurance company will also pay up to $10,000 for the item(s) stolen, if stolen by an employee or independent contractor.
For full details of coverages, please view the PSA program policy in the Member Login area of the website. For additional or specific questions, email info@petsitllc.com to be connected with the insurance underwriter. Please note that PSA does not provide legal counsel, so please contact a licensed attorney in your area for legal inquiries.
Claims FAQs
How do I file a claim?
Filing a claim is easy! Just log into your account and click 'Submit a Claim' to start the online submission process.
If you would rather call the insurance company directly, they can be reached at (844) 777-8323 (please provide your name, member ID number, and your claim information).
What isn't covered in my pet business insurance policy?
Certain standard exclusions apply to all commercial liability policies. These include items such as expected or intended injury, certain types of contractual liabilities, communicable diseases, liquor liability, cyber liability, professional liability (unless optional grooming coverage is purchased), worker's compensation, employer's liability, pollution, aircraft, auto and owned watercraft, mobile equipment, damage to property you own or lease, war, sexual abuse, and molestation. This is intended for informational purposes only. Actual coverages apply per the terms, conditions and exclusions as contained in the insurance policy.
Other circumstances not covered include:
- Injuries to you, your employees, or independent contractors. This is not covered by general liability insurance, but coverage may be available via workers compensation insurance, depending on your state. PSA does not offer work comp coverage.
- Injuries to your pets or the pets of your employees or independent contractors.
- Damage to your personal property or personal property owned by your employees or independent contractors. General liability policies do not include this coverage.
- Injuries or property damage caused by your pets or your employees' or independent contractors' pets.
- Automobile liability coverage, including coverage for injuries to people in a car accident and/or damages caused to or by a personal or commercial vehicle driven by a member, employee/independent contractor, or incidental helper.
- Injuries or property damages caused to or by foster animals being fostered by you, your employees or independent contractors. However, the PSA program policy does provide coverage for your client's foster animals.
The bodily injury and property damage portions of this policy are for third party injuries and damages only.
What should I do if I receive legal paperwork or a lawsuit from an attorney?
If you receive any legal paperwork from an attorney, please contact RPS to submit a claim as normal. Please do not respond to any attorney questions or requests for additional information, but instead wait to speak with your assigned insurance company claims adjuster. Your claims adjuster will need a copy of the legal paperwork, preferably a scanned copy emailed to them, after they speak with you to initially discuss your claim.
What happens after I submit a claim?
After you submit a claim to RPS, you will receive an auto-response email to confirm that your claim has been submitted. Then our claims assistants will forward the claims information to the insurance company. An insurance company claims adjuster will then contact you as the main member to get more information about the claim, usually within a few business days. The claims adjuster may or may not also call the pet owner or claimant, but it depends on the individual circumstances of the claim. The insurance company claims adjuster will then determine if there is coverage for the claim and proceed with paying the claim as appropriate.
If I have a claim, should I make payment right away
It is usually best to speak with an insurance company claims adjuster prior to making any payments. We do understand that there are certain circumstances, such as emergency situations where a veterinarian requires payment before caring for an injured animal, where you as the pet sitter must make payment and that is acceptable. However, when possible, it is always best to either have the pet owner pay the bill or ask for an invoice to pay later as you as the pet sitter should avoid making "voluntary payments."
Is there a deductible?
The only deductible on the policy is the $500 per occurrence deductible for any claim arising out of the voluntary releasing of an animal from its leash other than in the above-ground fenced premises of the pet owner's or the pet sitter's residence (if the optional pet daycare & boarding coverage is purchased). Please note that this off-leash deductible does apply to off-leash dog parks so if a veterinarian expense claim should occur at a dog park while the animal is off-leash, then there would be a $500 deductible. There is no deductible if the animal slips the leash or the leash breaks accidentally.
Will my premium increase if I have a claim?
No, your premium will not increase due to your individual claims. The only time the premium increases is if the entire program has a rate increase. However, we do have the legal right to cancel or non-renew members due to claims and we have done that in the past. We do not have a "three strikes and you're out" type of policy, but instead we look at each individual claim and each individual membership when determining if non-renewal is necessary.
Can I file a claim over the phone?
To file a claim by phone, please call RPS Claims directly at 844-777-8323. RPS Claims office hours are 8 AM to 5 PM (Central Time) Mondays through Fridays. Please make sure to have your most current PSA member certificate handy as the claims assistants will need some information off of that form in order to submit your claim to the insurance company.
This is intended for informational purposes only. Actual coverages applies per the terms, conditions and exclusions as contained in the insurance policy.
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Pet-Related Business.
Become a member of Pet Sitters Associates today and receive great rates on pet business insurance with General Liability Insurance from only $210 a year, plus optional add-on policy options available to members.