Can I leave anything in my will for my pets?

When considering making a will, people automatically think about what people or charities they would like to leave their assets to. But what happens to your pets?

Pets are often thought of as one of the family and your pet deserves to be looked after in a loving home after you have passed away. 

Unfortunately, for obvious reasons you are not able to leave your estate directly to your pets. You can however, include provision in your will to leave your pets to a specific person or animal charity who will in turn look after your pets. You may also want to consider leaving the person looking after your pet a financial gift to say thank you. That way, the person has financial security to pay for vet bills, food and maintaining your pets.

When deciding who to leave your pets to, you should bear in mind the lifespan of your pets, as depending on the pet, for example a tortoise, this could be a lifelong commitment. 

There is also a risk that on your passing, the person you have chosen to look after your pets, may not want to accept the legacy in your will and they do not want to keep your pets. It is therefore important to consider telling the potential new pet owner that you are considering updating your will to include them as their new owner, before formally committing to the same.

If you have multiple pets and you would like them to be kept together, you could also leave a side letter to your will detailing that where possible, your pets should not be split up.

Alternatively, there is the possibility of leaving a trust in your will whereby you would appoint trustees who would for example, look after a pot of money for the purpose of spending this on your pet, for whatever needs they have.

By leaving a will to include provision for your pets, you will have peace of mind knowing that your pets will be cared for by the people of your choosing. 

If you would like to discuss making provision for your pets in your will then please contact one of our will specialists. I am based in our Colchester office and can be contacted on 01206 217609 or leah.woodnott@birkettlong.co.uk.