PetScreening.com, a first-of-its-kind screening platform that empowers property managers to outsource their pet risk assessment and assistance animal validation processes at no charge, today announced it has partnered with Blue Ridge Property Management to implement its platform at approximately 12,000+ apartment homes spanning 45 communities.
Blue Ridge Property Management is a High Point, North Carolina-based apartment operator with a large presence in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Blue Ridge Property Management piloted the PetScreening platform and the rollout went live on June 1, 2019.
“The inability to properly screen pets and verify assistance animal documentation during the application process has become a significant issue that results in lost pet revenue and higher liability risks,” said Gina Carter, Vice President of Portfolio Operations for Blue Ridge Property Management. “We’re excited to implement the PetScreening platform at all 45 of our communities to ensure all pets and their owners are properly screened based on the pet’s past behavior, reducing the liability risk pertaining to pet-related incidents.”
Under the PetScreening platform, an applicant with a pet(s) pays a nominal fee at the time they apply for a rental home and enter information about their specific pet into the only centralized pet-screening database to analyze rental housing-related risk. The platform weighs various pet-related factors, including those that pertain to a community’s specific restrictions, such as breed, weight and age, and then creates a FIDO Score™. The score serves as a simple way to comprehensively assess the housing-related risk of allowing a specific pet and pet owner to live at a rental property by producing an algorithmic “0-to-5 Paw” FIDO Score™.
Property Managers can also require non-pet owners, at no charge, to formally acknowledge no-pet related policies that apply to them at the time of application. This requires non-pet owners to agree to no-pet related policies such as, but not limited to, no pet sitting (short or long term) is allowed without the community manager’s prior permission as well as properly reporting any pet or animal they happen to acquire during their lease-term. PetScreening has the only nationwide collaborative database of pet and animal-related incidents and provides property managers the ability to record and report incidents. Examples include, but not limited to, pet/animal bites, property damage, or any owner issues, such as repeat noise complaints, off-leash offenders, or failure to pick up pet waste. These recorded incidents will follow the pet/animal and its owner into perpetuity so that the next property manager can review the incident(s) and use at their discretion.
“We’re delighted to have Blue Ridge Property Management on board, and we know they are excited to create the most pet-friendly and accountable experience for their residents,” said Pat Patterson, Director of Multifamily for PetScreening.com. “Life is much better at an apartment community when all residents—pet owners or otherwise—are held more accountable to the pet policies. The property, meanwhile, can mitigate liability, save valuable time and increase pet-related revenue. We look forward to having Blue Ridge Property Management as a partner.”
PetScreening also enables rental prospects seeking a reasonable accommodation request for an assistance animal (service/emotional support/companion/etc.) to submit the request through the platform at no charge whatsoever to the Requester (rental prospect) and the Property Manager. PetScreening.com’s in-house legal review team individually reviews each accommodation request to ensure it complies with the FHAct/HUD guidelines. This standardizes the property manager’s reasonable accommodation request review process, saves time, and helps mitigate liability for a possible discrimination complaint.
PetScreening will be at NAA Apartmentalize Booth 1735 on June 27-28.
