EXCLUSIVE: Landlord launches world’s first pet referencing service for tenants
A landlord has launched what she believes to be the ideal solution to the impasse between landlords who won’t take tenants with pets, and the estimated 7.6 million tenants in the UK who want to live with their cats or dogs.
In an exclusive interview, Natasha Homer-Earley whose family has a rental portfolio in the UK but who also has experience creating tech platforms, reveals she is to launch PetsScore, a dog and cat referencing service for landlords, tenants and letting agents.
It is due to go live in ten weeks and will enable tenants to register their pets for free including microchip number, breed/size/weight, vaccinations, pet insurance details, medical treatments (fleas, ticks, etc), pet training, landlord/letting agent references, exercise levels and pet temperament.
Petscore, like human tenant referencing, will charge agents a small fee or subscription to see pet references.
Homer-Earley says she is concentrating on launching her digital referencing product but hopes to add an insurance element to the platform at a later date.
Portal pet reference
This would enable tenants to offer landlords and letting agents a reference for their pooch or moggy but also insurance cover for any damage or extra cleaning caused by their pet.
She says her service will also be applicable to the Airbnb/short lets sector and will eventually cover other kinds of pet as demand dictates.
“There’s no point in creating something unless it’s going to meet the standards and issues facing landlords and lettings agents,” she tells LandlordZONE.
The fledgling business has big plans, largely because its tech can be used by anyone around the world and solves an issue that is hotly debated in many countries, not just the UK.
MP Andrew Rosindell (pictured recently failed in his attempt to get legislation through parliament that would have mandated landlords to take tenants with pets based on a registration system very similar to Petscore.
The government also recently published its non-mandatory model AST which urges landlords to accept pets.
Homer-Earley is asking landlords, tenant and letting agents to pre-register for free with her service.
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