Do you know your credit score? What about your pet? Does it have a score? Today, I am talking to John Bradford, the “Pet Guy.” John came up with the idea for PetScreening.com by combining his skillsets of being a property manager and pet lover.

There’s two “Ps” that cause property damage - people and pets. Property managers need to know how to handle pet diligence and the increasing population of “assistance” animals - sometimes involving pet owners who try to circumvent policies of property management firms.

You'll Learn...

[05:00] Service animals is a topic that sparks property managers’ interest. [07:00] Experience Share: Tell your experiences and don’t hold back any punches. It makes for authentic and real conversations. [07:16] John started PetScreening to develop a service that reduced the liability for property managers and clients. [08:12] John did not want the service to cost any money. [08:21] John loves money, so he wanted a product that generated substantial revenue around pets. [09:05] John worked with software developers, lawyers, veterinarian consultants, lawmakers, and others to develop the PetScreening product. [10:09] Hundreds of firms have registered with PetScreening. [10:55] PetScreening generates revenue through an application fee paid by the pet owner. The cost is $20 for the first pet, and $15 for each additional pet. However, there is no application fee for service animals. [11:40] PetScreening does a revenue share with the property management firm. The tool is free, and they get a rebate besides. [12:17] The property management firm is given a unique link to share with customers who have a pet or service animal for PetScreening to track applications. [13:09] The customer is taken to PetScreening to complete the application, which includes questions about the pet: Name, breed, type, photos, vaccination records,etc. [13:47] The application includes an Affidavit section, which features questions that protect the property manager and owners. Applicants attest and certify their answers are accurate. [15:12] PetScreening developed an algorithm that takes data points from the application to create a “Pet Score” that goes to the housing provider. [15:33] The score can indicate risk factors for that pet. Use that score to create a pricing matrix that correlates to the score and identify how much revenue you will generate. [16:17] Applicants basically know their answers will impact whether a property manager will allow their pet, but they don’t know the pet is being scored. [17:00] Property managers are building better relationships with pet owners because they tell them what they need for the pet owner to pay less. [17:52] The best rating - a 5-paw score - is difficult to achieve. Only about 11% of applicants reach this status. [18:09] It’s up to the property manager how they treat the scoring. If you have an animal with a 1-paw score, you may not allow them or charge more. [18:59] About 10% of PetScreening’s applications are for assistance animals, either as a service or companion animal. [19:53] PetScreening collects data and asks HUD questions, then its legal team reviews each assistance animal application, but no score is given. They are either recommended or not. [20:39] About 32% of applicants who say they have an assistance animal have a status of “waiting for animal owner.” When asked for clarifying information, they disappear. [21:40] PetScreening is disrupting the industry because it is weeding out people who do not truly have an assistance animal. [21:57] Test of Reasonableness: Is the documentation reasonable? When was the document issued? Who is the provider? [22:38] If applicants lie, there is no real legal recourse. There are not a lot of statues on fair housing, so people are taking advantage of this problem. [23:55] PetScreening is a timesaver - and time costs money. John’s firm has saved time and minimized liability risks. [25:09] Every question asked in PetScreening’s application is designed to protect property manager and owners. [25:20] PetScreening developed the first nationwide database where property managers can report incident reports of pet damage and pet biting that follow that animal forever. [26:58] For one, specific pet, the owner only has to submit an application and pay once. Then they can share that information with other businesses. [28:37] However, pet owners need to renew the application every year, which costs $10. [29:29] Property managers should re-evaluate data because a lot can change with pets. [30:10] HIPAA protects sensitive medical documentation. Property managers can ask for such documentation about assistance animals. [30:42] PetScreening has HIPAA-compliant servers to protect the documentation.

Tweetables

PetScreening - a win for property managers, pet owners, and property owners.

PetScreening’s database offers incident reports of pet damage and pet biting.

It’s up to the property manager how they treat the pet scoring.

Resources

PetScreening

PetScreening Email

PetScreening Discount for DoorGrowShow Users

ADA

NARPA

Bryan Greene of HUD

HIPAA

DoorGrow Club