In 2024, tenant advocates have rallied around a growing enforcement focus at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): the practice of charging emotional support animal (ESA) owners fees to use third-party pet screening platforms like PetScreening.com.
What Is PetScreening?
PetScreening is a VC-backed platform — having raised over $84.7 million in funding — that provides landlords with a digital tool to screen pets and assistance animals. Landlords who use the platform typically require all applicants with pets or animals to create a profile and pay a fee: typically $15 to $25 per pet application.
The Fair Housing Act Problem
Under the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)), landlords must provide reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities without charging fees. HUD's guidance FHEO-2020-01 explicitly states: "A housing provider may not charge a fee for processing a reasonable accommodation request."
When a landlord routes an ESA accommodation request through a third-party platform that charges a fee — even framed as a "standard pet process" — this may constitute a failure to provide a reasonable accommodation without charge, violating the FHA.
Tenant Action Steps
- Screenshot everything: Your original request, emails directing you to the platform, and your payment receipt.
- Send a written demand: Request a refund and written confirmation that your ESA is accepted without charge.
- File a HUD complaint: Go to HUD's online portal. Most complaints are investigated within 100 days.
- Contact a Fair Housing attorney: Many work on contingency in FHA cases.
The economic incentives driving pet screening fee violations are clear. But the legal risk is real — and growing. Know your rights, document everything, and fight back.