I have lived in my San Francisco apartment for over 13 years. I love it, but it’s probably about time to move. My dogs need a yard. My partner and I want to live together. So, I’m looking at new apartments. In doing so, I discovered that potential landlords are not only asking for the usual FICO score but now also want my dogs’ FIDO scores. And the FIDO score has the potential to cost me a heck of a lot of money.
Renting An Apartment in SF with Dogs
I have never found it easy to rent an apartment in San Francisco while having dogs, especially big dogs. Most of the places that are dog-friendly are huge apartment buildings with big dog runs on the rooftop. While that’s great for a lot of people, it’s not the right spot for my pups and I. We need a quieter, smaller building. Currently we live in a spot with three other tenants in the building. Ideally, I’d love a single family home with a private fenced yard, but I don’t want to leave the city, so I’m not sure that is going to happen.
Limitations on Dogs in SF Apartments
Even when an ad listing for an apartment says dogs are accepted, it often also says one or more of the following things:
- Service dogs only. Which shouldn’t even bother to be listed because this is a legal requirement and doesn’t actually mean that a place is dog-friendly.
- Only dogs under forty pounds. I have even seen ads listing dogs under 20 pounds. My dogs are … well, a lot bigger than that.
- Non-aggressive breeds. This one is common because it’s related to insurance and liabilities. The issue is that there’s a list of dogs considered aggressive. My dogs aren’t on that list but they’re a unique breed and people sometimes get confused. Therefore, this one requires explaining on my end.
- Pets approved on a case by case basis. Or pet references required. This one I’m totally fine with. My dogs have references and can be introduced to landlords.
- FIDO score of 3+
What Is a FIDO Score?
This last one is a new one. It didn’t exist the last time that I was looking for apartments in San Francisco. From what I’ve been able to figure out, this is a service for landlords who are seeking to charge more for pets than they already charge. It seems to have started in the last couple of years. And although there are a few services out there, almost everyone using these types of scores, and I think the only company officially calling them FIDO Scores, is PetScreening.
1-5 Paws
Basically, the pet owner answers a bunch of questions about their dogs. You share their breed, weight, sex, age, and some other stuff. Then the system assigns a FIDO score of 1-5 paws to your dog. A dog with 1 star is considered very risky. A dog with 5 stars is a “good dog.”
Supposedly, this tool does a better assessment than individual landlords about the true risk a dog poses to the property. They claim that instead of stereotyping based on breed, the FIDO score can tell you more about a specific individual dog within that breed. Except the breed is one factor in the FIDO score, so it’s unclear how much weight that has.
The Cost of a FIDO Score
What’s been shocking to me is learning about the costs involved in the FIDO score. There’s an initial assessment fee. Then there’s a pet rent fee on top of that.
FIDO Score Assessment Fee
As aforementioned, the housing ads I’ve seen that require this all point to only one tool: PetScreening. This means that you have to work with that tool if you’re applying to rent the place. As Curbed explained last year, landlords don’t pay anything to utilize the service. However, potential renters pay $20 for screening for one pet and $35 for screening for two pets.
Most of the apartments I’ve seen asking for this also require a human application fee, usually about $40 per person. Therefore, my partner and I would pay a total of $115 to apply for two humans two pets to rent an apartment. That’s just to apply. There’s absolutely no guarantee that you’ll get accepted. In fact, as I’ve dipped my toe back into the San Francisco apartment rental market, I’ve discovered that despite all of the changes here caused by the pandemic, it’s still a highly competitive market and you’re more likely not to get a place than to get one.
Pet Rental Fees
Curbed goes on to explain that landlords aren’t using the FIDO Score just to determine if they want your dogs on the property or not. Instead, they’re using it to charge tenants more money in pet fees. Many landlords already charge a pet deposit. That’s fair enough; pets sometimes destroy property just like people do. If they don’t, then you should get your deposit back. I don’t take issue with this.
But, Curbed explains that PetScreening markets itself to landlords as a way for them to make more money. Basically, they can create a sliding scale policy where people with 1 star dogs pay significantly more than people with 5 star dogs. In many cases, you’ll pay a deposit and then pay either an additional non-refundable pet fee or a monthly pet rent charge.
Where Will We Rent With Our Dogs in San Francisco?
My partner and I are looking at a 1-2 bedroom place with a private fenced yard, which means we’re likely going to pay about $4000/month. Most places require 1.5x rent for deposit, so we’ll need $6000 for deposit, plus first month’s rent, putting as at $10000 for move-in costs. That’s BEFORE any FIDO score associated pet fees. Sometimes it seems like it’s going to be impossible. However, I’ve lived in San Francisco for nearly twenty years. I know that there are great landlords out there offering more flexibility. I know that we’ll find the place that’s right for us when the time is right. It just means practicing a little patience. I’ve trained two big puppies, so patience is definitely something that I have!
Read More:
- Is It a Good Time for Me To Get a New San Francisco Apartment?
- 5 Things I Won’t Do To Save Money on Rent
- Are There Any Financial Benefits to Owning a Pet?
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Kathryn Vercillo is a professional writer who loves to live a balanced life. She appreciates a good work-life balance. She enjoys balance in her relationships and has worked hard to learn how to balance her finances to allow for a balanced life overall. Although she’s only blonde some of the time, she’s always striving for total balance. She’s excited to share what she’s learned with you and to discover more together along the way.
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