Business ProfileforPet Screening, Inc.

BBB files indicate that this business has a pattern of complaints concerning contract concerns and service concerns. Specifically:

Contract concerns:

1. Complaints suggest a desire from consumers for more clarity during the profile creation process. Consumers are either 1) claiming it is unclear that the deposit to set up the profile is non-refundable regardless of whether they follow through on the housing they have applied for; or 2) suggesting they are under the impression the cost was a “one-time fee” but then charged for a renewal a year later. These assumptions appear to be made based on the renewal information on the website and email reminders they receive. Consumers are indicating that the emails state they should renew or their profile will expire, rather than stating they must cancel before renewal to avoid any unexpected charges.
2. Consumers suggest feeling forced into consenting to their data being sold to marketers and shared with unnamed “business partners” and thus complain about receiving offers from such business partners. Consenting to the privacy policy is required to use the service, however, consumers feel the consent is not being freely given because the screening service is required to apply for housing.

Service concerns:

1. Consumers suggest they believe they are following the company’s instructions/requests as specified but then are confused by having duplicate documents requested multiple times.
2. Potential tenants have claimed to provide letters from healthcare providers confirming the need for a service animal but claim they end up with their animal’s status as an emotional support animal (ESA) not approved due to a letter being older than 12 months or specific requirements allegedly not being present.In many of these cases, consumers claim that the business directs them back to HUD documents without making clear what exactly the business is looking for, while the consumer believes their documentation does meet the HUD/FHAct guidelines.
3. The business appears to emphasize in its responses that it is not denying the animal but rather asking for more information. Consumers have noted that the repeated requesting of documentation from healthcare providers puts undue burden on both consumers and their healthcare providers. It appears in these cases that eventually the ESAs are converted to pet profiles due to insufficient information. The business appears to cite in its denial that the user did not provide the requested information.

 On March 1, 2024 BBB submitted a written request to the company encouraging them to address the pattern of complaints. The business has responded and is working with BBB to address the underlying causes of the pattern of complaints.