Rehoming your pet is a hard decision by itself, without the additional worries of future costs. If you’ve realized that it’s best for you and your pet to go separate ways, you should be responsible and transfer your pet’s insurance as well.
Every dedicated pet parent pays grand deductibles for their pet’s safety, but what happens to its insurance when the pet receives a new home?
Although time-consuming, many pet insurance companies allow their clients to transfer their insurance to a second owner. Despite certain difficulties, the process can be done for the pet’s sake.
To learn more about the pet insurance transfer of ownership, continue reading below.
What is Transfer of Pet Ownership?
Transferring your pet’s ownership means that even though it switched owners – the pet will still be insured. This is useful if you want to protect the animal from any risky waiting period.
The transfer should also maintain the claims previously covered by an agreed-upon policy. If the new owner increases the coverage during the transfer, it could mean uncovered claims.
Contrary to popular belief, transferring information from one owner to the next is pretty straightforward. All that pet insurance companies do is replace the original contact information of the previous owner with the new one.
Legally, this includes downloading an ownership transfer form with the previous owner’s signature.
Ultimately, almost all pet insurance agencies offer to transfer the policies to new owners. Every company that allows the transfer would have all the instructions elaborated on their website, and if you don’t find your answer there, customer service is always available to help.
How Do You Transfer Pet Ownership?
Some pet insurance companies have fewer demands than others, and it’s always best to choose the less complicated option. One of the best situations would only require the former owner to submit a single form.
These forms are typically displayed on all pet insurance websites, accompanied by the declaration of the pet’s owner. Besides the declaration, the form should also include the transfer policy and new billing info.
Last but not least, pet insurance companies require signatures from both the previous and the new owner.
This might seem fine and dandy, but not all pet insurance policies are equal. Sometimes the form is nowhere to be found on pet insurance websites as if they don’t offer to transfer the policy.
Sometimes, dog and cat parents are asked to provide ownership evidence and upgrade their bill info.
The form should mainly include:
- Consent from both parties (former and incoming owner)
- Detailed info on the pet’s history
Here’s a detailed step by step guide on how to create the form yourself:
- Discuss with the potential new owner about your pet’s previous pet care. Let them know about any abnormalities, issues, medical problems your pet has encountered in its lifetime and all its treatments.
- Look for proper templates online, as many pet adoption services allow access to samples of ownership forms. This should be updated to include your and the new owner’s personal info.
- Remember to adapt the deal to suit the needs of both you and the new owner.
- Make sure the agreement is created according to standards. Additionally, make sure to add disclaimers – just like with every legal contract.
Which Pet Insurance Can Transfer Ownership?
Out of all the pet insurance companies, only a few allow proper ownership transfer. According to customer reviews, some of the best include Embrace and Trupanion, with their own transfer forms available on the official websites.
Most companies that are more devoted to dogs offer hassle-free transfer, with the most popular being:
- Nationwide (popular for unlimited yearly coverage)
- Lemonade (pays special attention to young pups and cats)
- ASPCA (no waiting period)
- Petpals (concerned with service animals)
Is Pet Insurance Transferable to a New Owner?
To put it lightly, yes. Almost every modern pet insurance company allows you to transfer your pet’s insurance to another owner. All you need is a simple online-traceable transfer form and you and the new owner’s goodwill.
Make sure to include your entire history together, and prepare to sign away your pet worry-free!
