I agree with everyone here who has recommended PetScreening.com to handle these requests for you - they have the expertise and there is no cost to either the operator or the resident/prospective resident as long as we are talking about a service or ESA accommodation request.

There is a bigger picture, however, which is that breed and weight restrictions (as well as rapidly growing pet fees) play a big role in driving fraudulent requests. I wrote a blog posted here on MFI on this very topic that is worth a read:
www.multifamilyinsiders.com/multifamily-...-fraudulent-requests

You may want to think about whether your current pet restrictions are relevant for today's renter; you'll find a great deal of info on this topic by visiting www.petsandhousing.org/

Absolutely not correct. Needs to come from licensed health provider

we also have a form that the resident or prospective resident fills out. We send it to the dr or 3rd party verifier. If we do not receive it back from the verifier we sent it to, then we call to verify that it was filled out by the office.

What you point out is important here. There is a lot of confusion about the difference between ESA's (Emotional Support Animals) and Service animals. The latter falls under FHA and ADA laws, and landlords must be extremely careful about how they handle these requests. My partner and I run a blog about issues independent landlords and property managers face, and we've written a couple articles about this:
landlordgurus.com/emotional-support-animal-housing-laws/
landlordgurus.com/should-i-accept-pets-in-my-rental/

An important consideration is whether to accept pets, both because doing so strategically can increase rental income and because it can head off tenants' temptation to manipulate ESA laws in order to get pet into a rental that doesn't otherwise allow them. I fully concur that petscreening.com is a valuable resource!

A few disclosures - we may make a commission on some of the products we talk about on our site, and we are NOT lawyers! This latter point is important because our content, like any others like it, cannot be substituted for careful consideration of ESA and Service animal laws. Rental laws are constantly changing, there are local differences, and it is NOT worth risking a costly lawsuit. We recommend consulting a lawyer when there is any doubt about landlord-tenant laws.

Thanks! Eli

Valerie Edmonds Thank you for your honesty. That's exactly what we should do.
Personally, it makes me so angry when people claim they need an Emotional Support Animal just to have a pet. It gives those with real needs a bad reputation because a good portion of those people who lie about it have animals who aren't well-behaved.
Professionally, though, I keep those opinions to myself and approve them for the same reasons you stated.

The Resident pays for the screening. If they are registering a support or service animal its free to the resident.