How PetScreening is Transforming Property Management
by Jennifer Stoops
In today’s rental housing market, one thing is clear: Pets are no longer just companions, they are family. In 2024, more pets were adopted in the United States than children were born. That cultural shift is reshaping the rental housing landscape.
For millions of residents, pets are the new kids, and property managers are quickly learning that accommodating this shift is not just a courtesy, it is a necessity. But with this change comes a complex web of compliance, liability, risk, and opportunity. That is where PetScreening steps in.
At PetScreening, we have built the rental housing industry’s first and leading comprehensive pet compliance platform, one that supports property managers through every phase of the resident lifecycle, from application to move-out. Our goal is simple: drive compliance, reduce liability, unlock ancillary revenue opportunities, reduce team workload and friction, and create better pet communities and homes — all while promoting trust and transparency among residents, operators, and maintenance teams.
It Starts at the Front Door: Pre-Leasing and Application
With more than 70% of renters owning pets or animals, knowing who, or what, is moving into a home is critical. Yet pet-related information is often inconsistently gathered, leading to unauthorized pets, falsified assistance animal requests and unknown risk profiles.
PetScreening eliminates that guesswork by embedding a standardized pet and animal screening process into the leasing workflow. Every applicant, whether they have a household pet, an assistance animal, or no pet at all, completes a digital pet profile. This ensures accurate documentation of household pets, validation of reasonable accommodation requests for service and support animals, and the delivery of our proprietary FIDO Score™ to help evaluate household-related risk for pets and their owners.
The result: Leasing teams can ensure pet policies are enforced consistently, risk is managed appropriately, and unauthorized pets are reduced before the lease is even signed.
Move-In and Ongoing Compliance: Staying Ahead of the Curve
Collecting pet data at lease signing is just the beginning. What happens when a new pet arrives mid-lease or when a resident fails to update their records?
PetScreening’s compliance audit tool, PetComply.ai, proactively flags inconsistencies between what is on record and what is actually happening in the home. Through scheduled and automated audits, we help property managers maintain accurate records, identify unknown pets, and enforce policy compliance throughout the tenancy.
We not only created, but also maintain, the rental housing industry’s only pet incident database that has been built directly by property managers reporting incidents for the benefit of future property managers. This database provides operators insight and access to prior reported incidents like dog bites and pet-related property damage. It’s not just about knowing a pet and a pet owner’s prior rental history, it is about creating a culture of compliance that enhances accountability and trust.
Maintenance Safety: Protecting People, Property, and Pets
Pets introduce a unique layer of complexity to maintenance operations. Maintenance technicians are often sent into homes with no or very limited knowledge about any furry occupants, which can lead to uncomfortable or even dangerous encounters with animals.
Our digital pet and no-pet profiles are shareable with a click of a mouse and can be easily added into work orders to pass along essential pet data or the fact that there should be no pets present. This ensures technicians are safer prior to entry because they know what registered pet(s) are present, or not, in the home. Our platform shares pet photos, type, breed, size, and name. This level of preparation helps reduce the risk of bites or injury while improving service quality and speed.
And this serves as a real-time field audit. Maintenance personnel can act as field-level compliance partners by reporting back if they encounter unregistered pets or discrepancies. This helps property managers maintain accurate records and identify unauthorized pets in real time that is indisputable.
Revenue Generation & Policy Management That Makes Sense
PetScreening helps property managers create structured, consistent, and fair revenue strategies tied to pet ownership. Using our FIDO Score, managers can assess household-related risks and implement variable pet fees and pet rent that help offset any additional risk, thus creating a defensible fee structure that stands up to resident scrutiny and legal review.
The FIDO Score can also be customized to manage any pet policy restrictions such as breed, age or weight. While many general liability insurance products are removing breed restrictions, this scoring customization is available to any property manager to help consistently manage their specific business needs and policies.
Building Better Homes (and Communities), One Pet at a Time
We are not just a tech tool. We are a pet-inclusive housing advocate. Our Certified BetterPet Community™ initiative helps property managers promote pet responsibility and showcase their commitment to building inclusive, thriving neighborhoods and homes.
From our digital Better Pet Passport (a portable, verified profile for each pet) to the nation’s only Amber Alert system for pets, FidoAlert, we’re giving operators more tools to support their residents and making pet-friendly housing safer and more transparent. Our marketplace also offers pet owners discounts on health and wellness products, grooming services, and more, creating a better pet experience from day one.
BetterPet Communities improve resident satisfaction, reduce turnover, and promote stronger lease compliance. They also reflect a growing industry trend: Renters want to live where their pets are seen, supported, and celebrated.
Our Social Mission: Down for Pets
At PetScreening, our commitment to creating inclusive communities doesn’t stop with pets—it extends to people, too. That is why we created Down for Pets, our philanthropic initiative that celebrates and supports the Down syndrome community through the power of pet adoption.
This one-of-a-kind grant program helps families and individuals with Down syndrome cover the costs of pet adoption, encouraging meaningful connections between people and pets while raising awareness around inclusion and acceptance. By working with shelters, rescues, and advocacy organizations, we are working to ensure that more pets find loving homes, and more people experience the joy, companionship, and confidence that comes with pet ownership.
Down for Pets™ reflects who we are at our core: a company that believes in doing good while doing business. Whether it is protecting communities through compliance or uplifting them through compassion, we are proud to stand behind a mission that is as heart-driven as it is impactful.
More Than a Vendor — A True Partner
The future of property management includes pets. But without the right tools, managing pets can feel overwhelming. That’s why PetScreening isn’t just a software solution—we are a strategic partner.
We support property managers through every stage of the resident journey, from application and lease execution to renewals and inspections. We help mitigate risk, increase compliance, reduce liability, and drive meaningful revenue. And we do it all with transparency, consistency, and a deep understanding of the rental housing industry.
In a world where more pets are adopted than children are born, your approach to property management needs to evolve. At PetScreening, we are here to help you lead the way.
Pets are the new kids. Isn’t it time your pet policies caught up?
