Understanding Pet Screening: A Win-Win for Landlords and Tenants

In today’s rental market, pets are more than just companions—they're part of the family. With the rise of rental applicants having pets, comes the need for clear policies, risk management, and fair housing compliance. That’s where PetScreening.com steps in. This innovative platform simplifies pet and assistance animal screening for tenants while giving landlords peace of mind and legal protection.

At California Oaks Property Management, we utilize PetScreening.com as part of our rental application process to help ensure fair, thorough, and consistent pet policies across all of our properties.

What Is PetScreening.com?

PetScreening.com is an online service that standardizes the way landlords and property managers screen pets and assistance animals. It collects detailed information about pets and validates documentation for assistance animals to ensure compliance with the Fair Housing Act and ADA.

For Tenants: How to Use PetScreening.com

If you're applying to rent a property through California Oaks Property Management, here’s how the Pet Screening process works for you:

Complete a Pet Profile (californiaoakspm.petscreening.com)

• Provide basic information like breed, age, weight, vaccination records, behavior history, and a photo.
• You may be asked about spaying/neutering, flea prevention, and obedience training.
• A nominal fee is charged per pet (usually around $25 per pet).

Assistance Animals:

• If you have an emotional support animal (ESA) or service animal, you’ll be required to provide proper documentation through the Pet Screening platform.
• Their team reviews the paperwork in compliance with federal fair housing laws.
• There is no fee charged for assistance animal screening.

Submit and Wait for Approval:

• Once submitted, your profile is reviewed and scored.
• Our leasing team receives a detailed report to support the decision-making process.

For Landlords: Why Pet Screening Works in Your Favor

Managing pet policies can be tricky—especially when it comes to assistance animals and compliance with fair housing laws. PetScreening.com helps by offering:

• Standardized Pet Risk Assessment:
• Pet Screening assigns a “FIDO Score” to each pet, giving landlords insight into potential risk based on breed, behavior history, vaccinations, etc.
• Fair Housing Compliance for Assistance Animals:
• Third-party review of ESA and service animal documentation minimizes legal risks.
• Helps ensure reasonable accommodation requests are legitimate without requiring property managers to make medical judgments.
• Documentation and Liability Protection:
• Maintains a comprehensive paper trail of all animal-related communication and documentation.
• Reduces risk of discrimination claims by ensuring impartial review.
• Discourages Pet Policy Violations:
• Tenants are aware that pet registration is required, which helps reinforce compliance with the lease terms.

Why We Use Pet Screening at California Oaks Property Management

We believe in fair housing, clear expectations, and efficient leasing. By integrating Pet Screening into our application process, we protect our tenants, our property owners, and our team from confusion or noncompliance. Whether you’re applying with a pet or an assistance animal, this system keeps the process smooth, transparent, and consistent.

Conclusion

Pet Screening creates a win-win scenario: Responsible tenants can demonstrate their pet’s good behavior and history, while landlords have a reliable tool for risk assessment and legal compliance.

At California Oaks Property Management, we’re committed to providing a safe, respectful, and efficient rental experience—and Pet Screening is a key part of that commitment.