Pet insurance: renewals, cancelling and complaints

What happens to a pet policy when it renews or ends?

A pet policy runs for the term in the schedule and then either renews or ends. The Policyholder Protection Rules (Short-term Insurance), 2017 do not decide whether it renews, but they set what you must be told and how much notice an insurer must give before it ends a policy.

Olvian is not an insurer, broker or financial services provider. It passes a person's request to licensed providers, who pay Olvian a fee and contact the person. This guide sets out the rules that apply once you hold a pet policy. It is information, not advice.

Can the premium change at renewal?

The policy wording decides. What the Rules add is a duty to tell you about it in advance.

Where an insurer gives you a quotation with detailed information about a specific policy, or sells by direct marketing, Rule 11.4.2(e) requires it to tell you, before you enter into the policy:

• the premium, and how often it is payable;
• details of any premium increases, including the frequency and basis;
• whether an increase is linked to a matching increase in benefits, and any options for increases you can choose; and
• the consequences of failing to pay the premium.

Rule 5.1 adds that, where more than one option is available when you enter into, vary or renew a policy, an insurer may not stipulate that a particular term will apply unless you explicitly choose a different one. Rule 5.2 sets out limited exceptions, such as a term required by legislation. If your renewal offers a choice, such as a different excess or cover level, the default should not be quietly applied on your behalf.

A renewal notice is worth reading as closely as a new quote: the premium, the excess, the limits and any new exclusions can all change. If a renewal differs from what you had, ask the insurer to explain why in writing.

What if I miss a payment?

Rule 15.1 requires a policy to include a period of grace for paying premiums of "not less than 15 days after the relevant due date". For a monthly policy that provision applies from the second month of the policy.

Rule 7.1(e) makes void a policy provision that allows an insurer to repudiate a claim "because a premium was not paid on the due date, if payment was made during a period referred to in rule 15", whether or not the payment was made before the event that led to the claim.

Grace is not forgiveness. After the grace period, the policy wording governs. If you know a debit will fail, speak to the insurer before the due date and ask for the outcome in writing.

Can the insurer end my pet policy?

An insurer can end a policy only in the ways the policy and the Rules allow. Rule 19.1 defines "termination" to include cancellation, lapsing and non-renewal where the policy provides for automatic renewal or the policyholder has a legitimate expectation that it will be renewed.

Rule 19.2.1 says that if an insurer intends to terminate an individual policy, it must give you at least 31 days' written notice, unless the reason is:

• non-payment of a premium, subject to the grace period;
• a material change in the risk covered that, under the policy, ends it or gives the insurer the right to end it; or
• a legal requirement for immediate termination.

Rule 19.2.2 then keeps the insurer liable under the policy for the shorter of 31 days after it has proof that you were made aware of the intended termination, or until it receives proof that you have taken out another policy covering similar risks.

In plain terms, an insurer that wants to end your policy for a reason outside those three must give you notice, and cover continues for a period afterwards. If you get a notice, ask which reason the insurer relies on, and ask what happens to a claim for an illness that began while you were covered.

Can I cancel a pet policy myself?

Yes, with two different rights.

The 14-day cooling-off right. Rule 4.2 allows you to cancel a new policy, or a variation you asked for, by notice to the insurer within 14 days after you receive the policy contract, if the policy term is longer than 31 days and no benefit has been paid or claimed and no insured event has occurred. Rule 4.3 requires the insurer to refund the premiums paid, less the cost of any risk cover you actually enjoyed, and Rule 4.4 requires it to act within 31 days of receiving your notice.

Cancelling later. After the cooling-off period, how you cancel, what notice you give and what is refunded are set by the policy. Ask the provider before you buy, and then get the instruction in writing. Cancel in writing, keep proof that you sent it, and check the debit order has stopped.

If you are thinking of moving to another insurer, note that a new policy may carry its own waiting periods and may exclude a condition your pet already has. Both licensed providers can tell you how their policies treat that. Our guide on waiting periods and existing conditions explains how to ask about both.

What if I disagree with the insurer?

Start with the insurer's own process. Rule 18 requires each insurer to run a complaints management framework, and Rule 18.7.2 says that if a complaint is rejected you must be given "clear and adequate reasons" and be told of any escalation or review process, how to use it and any relevant time limits.

Claims have their own steps. If an insurer repudiates or disputes a claim, Rule 17.6.3 requires a notice with the reasons, your right to make representations within at least 90 days, the internal review process and your right to complain to an ombud. Rule 17.6.5 requires a written decision within 45 days of your representations.

Then you have two outside routes, which do different things.

• National Financial Ombud Scheme (NFO). It says it resolves complaints against financial institutions, including non-life insurers, and that its service is free of charge. It can only look at a complaint after you have lodged it with the insurer. Telephone 0860 800 900.
• Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA). The conduct regulator says it assists with complaints about how regulated companies conduct themselves and any contravention of the laws that govern them. It "cannot assist with claim disputes and contractual disagreements", which go to the relevant ombud.

What should I keep?

• the policy schedule and the written information the insurer sends within 31 days of the start (Rule 11.5.1);
• every renewal notice;
• proof of each premium paid;
• the vet's invoices and clinical notes for any claim;
• copies of every complaint, with dates and reference numbers.

Sources

Checked on 31 October 2026. Olvian is not a financial services provider and this guide is information, not advice.

• Policyholder Protection Rules (Short-term Insurance), 2017, Rule 19: termination of policies, Government Notice 1433, Government Gazette 41329, 15 December 2017, as amended by Notice 996, Government Gazette 41928, 28 September 2018.
• Rule 15: periods of grace
• Rule 4: cooling-off rights
• Rule 7: void provisions
• Rule 11: disclosure
• Rule 17: claims management
• Rule 18: complaints management
• Rule 5: negative option selection of policy terms or conditions
• National Financial Ombud Scheme
• Financial Sector Conduct Authority: consumer page