A company that makes pet management software for apartment owners and operators has launched an artificial intelligence tool it said can help crack down on renters who fail to disclose their furry friends and enable managers to collect revenue from fees that otherwise would be missed.
PetScreening's PetComply.ai product uses advanced data analytics to help property managers identify when renters fail to register and pay for dogs, cats and other permissible animals they keep in their unit. Through the software, PetScreening conducts an audit. If the audit shows renters who did not register a pet actually have one or more, PetScreening contacts them by email.
"Our pet audit has been completed, and you have indicated that you do not have a pet on your property," PetScreening recently sent to a one apartment dweller in Atlanta. "To ensure you remain compliant with your lease can you please click below to complete your 'No Pet' legal attestation with PetScreening."
Each year, operators lose an estimated $16 billion in pet-related fees because about a quarter of renters fail to disclose their household pets, the software company said.
“This tool will not only save time, but also will provide a powerful boost to the bottom line,” PetScreening founder and CEO John Bradford said in a statement. “By creating a framework and set of solutions that benefit property managers and pet-owning residents alike, we are unlocking tremendous value for the industry while ensuring safer and happier communities."
A spike in pet ownership during the pandemic in part prompted the rental housing industry to rethink its processes, Bradford said earlier this year.
Several other companies offer pet management software to apartment owners, managers and residents. One is Landlord Tech, a firm that provides tools to ensure payment of pet fees and deposits and education on how renters can reduce damage caused by their pets. Another is Azibo, a company with a platform designed to help landlords streamline and automate the collection of pet fees paid by renters.
But some companies that provide services to apartment owners don't offer such monitoring of tenants because of concerns that such practices are too invasive.
The Charlotte, North Carolina-based company provides its audit service to more than 7.6 million rental units across the multifamily, single-family, student, affordable, manufactured and military base housing sectors. Apartment buildings such as RiverPoint in Washington, D.C., Wells Place Apartments in Chicago and The Frame in Los Angeles said on their websites that they use PetScreening.
In a recent 60-day case study, PetScreening said the AI tool was responsible for identifying and prompting roughly 3,600 pet owners to come forward and voluntarily declare previously unregistered and unknown pets. The development and deployment of the new artificial intelligence tool was made possible by the $80 million in Series B funding received earlier this year, said PetScreening.