Business liability
Covers bites, disease transmission and falls in the shop as well as harm caused by food and accessories you sell, when animal keeping and products liability are included.
Insurance broker / Business types / Retail and wholesale
Insurance for pet shops and pet supply retailers in Germany
In a pet shop, some of the stock is alive. A parrot bites a child, a terrarium heater fails, the aquarium system floods: no other kind of retailer has claims like these. This page explains which insurance pays for them and what it costs.
The question almost everyone asks first
Who pays if an animal from my shop bites a customer?
Your public liability does, provided keeping animals on the premises is included. As a pet shop owner you are the keeper of the animals in your shop, and under German law you are liable for bites, scratches and transmitted diseases even when you are not at fault. Make sure every species you sell is listed in the policy, including reptiles and exotic animals.
What goes wrong in this trade
- 01
Bites and scratches
Rabbits, parrots, rodents and reptiles can react unpredictably when children reach into their cages.
- 02
Transmissible diseases
Salmonella in tortoises and reptiles, parrot fever in birds: if you sell a sick animal, you are liable for the consequences.
- 03
Equipment failure
If the terrarium heating or the pump of the aquarium system fails, animals can die within hours.
- 04
Water from the tanks
Large aquarium systems hold thousands of litres. One leaking tank can flood the shop and the rooms below.
- 05
Heavy feed sacks
Sacks of 15 kilograms are stacked high. If one falls, it lands on a customer or a member of staff.
- 06
Food and accessories
Contaminated pet food or toys from outside the EU can make pets ill, and their owners will ask you to pay the vet's bill.
Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.
The insurance you need
Essential
Strongly advised
Business contents
Replaces fittings, aquariums, food and accessories after fire, water, storm and burglary; live animals only if expressly included.
Business interruption
Pays running costs while the shop stays closed after a water damage or fire, because the animals still need looking after.
Depends on the business
Electronic equipment
Covers controllers, filters and heating in large aquarium and terrarium systems against breakdowns and power surges.
Business legal expenses
Legal expenses cover for disputes with customers over sick animals, or with breeders and landlords.
Fleet insurance
For the delivery van if you take food to customers, animal shelters or boarding kennels.
What it costs: example prices
Premiums for pet shops are in line with the rest of retail. Costs rise with a large number of live animals, big aquarium systems and your own delivery service.
| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Business liability | Pet supplies shop without live animals | around 80 to 250 euros a year |
| Business liability | Pet shop with birds, rodents and reptiles | around 200 to 600 euros a year |
| Business contents | Fittings, tank systems and stock worth 100,000 euros | around 300 to 800 euros a year |
| Business contents | Live animals included up to 10,000 euros | around 80 to 250 euros a year extra |
| Business interruption | Loss of income for up to twelve months | around 100 to 300 euros a year |
For comparison: A pet shop's liability and contents insurance together cost roughly as much a year as 15 large sacks of premium dog food.
Guide figures excluding insurance tax, as of September 2026. Publicly quoted figures exist for retail in general; the surcharges for live animals and aquarium systems are guide figures from our own quoting practice.
Our suggestions: three packages
01
Start
For: pet supplies or feed shop without live animals
- Business liability
- Business contents
Together around 300 to 800 euros a year
Request this package02
Specialist
For: pet shop with aquatics, small animals and birds
- Business liability
- Business contents
- Business interruption
- Electronic equipment
Together around 800 to 1,900 euros a year
Request this package03
All round
For: large pet store with a delivery service and several employees
- Business liability
- Business contents
- Business interruption
- Electronic equipment
- Fleet insurance
- Business legal expenses
Together around 1,800 to 3,800 euros a year
Request this packageThe worst day in the pet shop
Six losses of the kind pet shops really face, all on one Saturday. Tap through and see who pays.
Damage so far€40,800
-
A tank in the aquarium system has cracked overnight. 800 litres of water cover the shop floor and run into the neighbour's cellar.
-
In your own shop, shelves, pet food and carpet are soaked through.
-
An African grey parrot bites a child's finger, and the wound needs stitches.
-
A power surge knocks out the controller of the marine aquarium; heating and water flow stop.
-
A family claims that the tortoise they bought gave their child salmonella.
-
The shop stays closed for two weeks while it dries out, yet the animals and staff still have to be paid for.
Which package would you have had?
Illustrative amounts before any excess. Whether and how much is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
- Have every species you keep and sell named in the policy, especially reptiles, birds and venomous exotic animals.
- Find out whether live animals are covered by your contents insurance, and up to what amount.
- Make sure leaking aquarium water is covered: damage to other people's premises through liability, damage to your own shop through contents insurance.
- Protect the tank equipment with surge protection and an alarm; many insurers take this into account in your favour.
- Add products liability for food and accessories from outside the EU if you import them yourself.
- If you take in animals for care or holiday boarding, that needs to be included separately.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We ask about what others overlook
For many insurers, live animals are a special case. As a broker we compare who includes them and on what terms.
We know water damage from boats
We settle boat claims ourselves and deal with water every day. After an aquarium leak we know how to report the liability and contents sides cleanly and separately.
Business and private cover in one place
Your shop, delivery van, your own pets and your personal protection are looked after together.
A family business since 1989
You can reach us on +49 3375 29 12 77 when things go wrong, and we cost you nothing: the insurer pays our commission.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Does a pet shop need public liability insurance?
Not by law, but in practice absolutely. As keeper of the animals in your shop you are liable even without any fault on your part if an animal injures someone.
What does insurance for a pet shop cost?
Public liability starts at around 80 euros a year without live animals. With animals, contents and loss of income cover, specialist shops usually pay between 800 and 1,900 euros.
Are the animals in my shop insured if they die?
Only if live animals are included in your contents insurance, and then usually only for insured causes such as fire or escaping water, not illness.
Who is liable if an animal I sold is ill?
Towards the customer you are liable under the sales contract. Public liability covers consequential harm such as a person being infected, but not replacing the animal itself.
Is water damage from an aquarium covered?
Yes: damage to neighbours through liability, and damage to your own shop through contents insurance, provided its water damage cover includes aquarium water.
Do I need a licence to sell animals?
Yes, under section 11 of the Animal Welfare Act, issued by the local veterinary office (Veterinäramt). It is not an insurance matter, but insurers often ask about it.
NAMMERT insurance broker
Request quotes for Pet shop
The recommended covers are already ticked. Change what does not fit; we obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. You can write in English.
Thank you, we have your request.
We will be in touch within one working day. If it is urgent: +49 3375 29 12 77.
Related trades
Boat or yacht? Here we are not the broker but the underwriting agency, with our own policies and our own claims handling.
Boat insuranceNAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker. Statutory disclosure (German) · Updated