These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of PetFena, a two-sided marketplace that connects pet owners (“Owners”) with independent pet sitters (“Sitters”). By creating an account, listing services, booking a visit, or using any part of PetFena, you agree to these Terms.
1. Eligibility and account roles
- You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter into contracts.
- Owners create profiles for their pets, search for Sitters, book visits, and pay through the platform.
- Sitters create listings, set availability, accept or decline booking requests, and receive payouts for completed stays.
- One login can hold one Owner account and one Sitter account; you switch between them in the app. Each email address and each phone number can be used for at most one Owner account and one Sitter account. You can’t book yourself as your own Sitter or invite yourself to become a Sitter.
- You are responsible for maintaining accurate account information and keeping your login credentials secure.
- Signing up requires your full legal name and date of birth, and both Owners and Sitters must verify a government photo ID against a live selfie during account setup, before using the rest of PetFena — see Section 8.
2. Booking and payment
- Owners select a service tier (Basic, Standard, Premium) with published base prices. Additional hours may be added at the per-hour rate shown before checkout.
- Payment when a Sitter accepts. Owners add a card when they request a stay; nothing is charged then. When a Sitter accepts, the full price is held on that card and charged when the stay ends. Because a card hold only lasts a few days, for stays more than 6 days away we place the hold later (up to 6 days before pick-up and at least a day before drop-off), and for stays longer than 6 days we charge the card 6 days after the hold is placed. If a hold is declined, the stay is paused and the Owner has 10 minutes (12 hours for a hold placed on its scheduled day) to pay with another card; if payment still fails, the stay is cancelled at no charge and the Sitter is released. Money is not released to the Sitter until the visit is completed and the payout is approved in line with our policies.
- Payment processing. Payments and Sitter payouts are processed by Stripe. Sitters receive payouts through a Stripe connected account and must agree to the Stripe Connected Account Agreement, which includes the Stripe Services Agreement. Sitters authorise PetFena to share their information with Stripe and to direct Stripe to send their payouts.
- PetFena charges Owners a 10% service fee on top of the stay price, and deducts a 15% commission from the Sitter’s stay earnings. The checkout screen shows the stay price, service fee, sales tax, and total charged to the Owner. Sales tax is calculated automatically by our payment processor (Stripe Tax) from the Owner’s home address, including any state, city and local taxes that apply. There is no mileage or travel reimbursement, including for stays at the Owner’s home.
- If no Sitter accepts a request, nothing is held or charged.
Interview your sitter
Every Owner gets a free quick interview with the Sitter matched to their stay. PetFena’s AI suggests real-life scenario questions tailored to the pets on the booking — emergencies, health and medication, behaviour and temperament, and how the Sitter keeps the Owner informed. The Owner can pick up to five, edit them or write their own. The Sitter answers in the app, and PetFena’s AI adds a short, neutral note to each answer to help the Owner read it; AI notes do not score or recommend Sitters.
If the Owner prefers someone else, they can ask for a different Sitter within 2 hours of the match (or of the Sitter answering the questions), and before drop-off: the hold on the card is released in full, it does not count against the Sitter, and PetFena automatically matches the Owner with the next available Sitter. The interview is optional.
3. Cancellation Policy
The same rules apply to every stay booked on PetFena. Your exact free-cancellation deadline is shown at checkout and on your booking.
Your free-cancellation deadline
Cancel more than 24 hours before drop-off for a full refund — PetFena keeps nothing.
If the owner cancels
| When you cancel | What happens |
|---|---|
| More than 24h before | 100% refund, including fees |
| 12–24h before | 75% of the service refunded, sitter keeps 25%. PetFena fee kept |
| 2–12h before | 50% of the service refunded, sitter keeps 50%. PetFena fee kept |
| Within 2h of the start, after it starts, or no-show | Treated as a no-call no-show: no refund. The sitter gets 100% of the booking minus PetFena's commission |
Example: a $100 service cancelled 18 hours before refunds $75; the sitter keeps $25.
Sales tax follows the stay price: when part of the stay price is refunded, the same share of the tax is refunded too. Tax is never paid to the sitter. If you cancel while payment for the stay hasn’t gone through yet (for example during the 10-minute window after a declined card), there is no charge.
No travel fees
PetFena does not charge mileage or travel reimbursement. When the sitter comes to your home, you pay the same stay price, service fee and tax as a stay at the sitter's home.
Emergencies
If your pet has a medical emergency, or you face a personal emergency, choose emergency cancellation on your booking. Our team reviews every request, and may ask for proof such as a vet note. A verified emergency is the only case where the service fee can be refunded too. It overrides the late-cancellation and no-show rules above — but you must send proof to our team within 3 days of cancelling (upload it in Support). Without proof in time, the normal policy applies.
- Before drop-off: if verified, up to a full refund.
- After the stay has started: if verified, 50% of the unused hours.
Example: a $100 24-hour stay cancelled 6 hours in leaves 18 unused hours ($75), so the verified refund is $37.50. Refunds are returned to your original card, usually within 5–10 business days.
If the sitter cancels
- Before the stay starts: the sitter is paid nothing at all, and the owner gets a 100% refund — including fees. We help you find a replacement sitter.
- After the stay has started: you pay only for the hours your pet was actually cared for, and never more. The sitter is paid for those hours minus the PetFena commission on the entire booking. If that commission is larger than the value of the hours worked, the sitter receives nothing and you are not charged the difference. Everything else, including the service fee and tax, is refunded.
- Example: a sitter booked for 3 hours who cancels after 1 hour is paid 1 hour's rate minus the 15% commission on all 3 hours.
- Late cancellations count against the sitter. Repeated late cancellations can hide their listing.
- Sitters who cancel 20% or more of their bookings are warned, then moved down one tier at a time.
Other situations
- Sitter no-show: if your sitter hasn’t checked in 30 minutes after the start time, tap “Sitter didn’t show” on your booking. You get a 100% refund including fees, we look for a replacement sitter, and the no-show counts against the sitter as a late cancellation and moves them down one tier.
- Late pick-up: pick-up has a 15-minute grace period. If you’re later than that, a fee of one extra hour at your stay’s extra-hour rate (plus the service fee and tax) is charged to your card, and the sitter is paid for that hour. If you’ll be late, message your sitter in the app.
- Early pick-up: picking up your pet before the scheduled end does not refund the unused time.
- Changing dates or times: stays can’t be changed once a sitter has accepted. To change your dates, cancel and book again; the cancellation rules above apply to the original stay.
- PetFena cancels a stay: if we cancel a stay for safety, trust or verification reasons, you pay nothing before the stay starts. After it starts, you pay only for the hours already cared for, and the sitter is paid for them, unless the cancellation was caused by the sitter’s own misconduct, in which case you’re refunded in full.
- Events outside anyone’s control: if severe weather, a natural disaster or an official order makes a stay unsafe or impossible, Owners can request an emergency cancellation on their booking and Sitters can contact PetFena support. If our team verifies it, you get a full refund including fees and neither side is penalised.
- If the final charge fails: if your card can’t be charged when the stay ends, we’ll ask you to pay with a working card within 3 days. The amount stays owed, and new bookings are paused until it’s paid.
Other cancellation situations
- If a stay goes wrong or you disagree with a charge, open a dispute from the booking. Our team reviews check-ins, visit logs and photos before deciding.
- Service fees are non-refundable except in staff-verified emergencies.
- Pet discomfort cancellation fee: If a pet becomes uncomfortable, anxious, or aggressive during a booking and the Sitter determines the stay cannot continue, the Owner remains responsible for a $10.00 cancellation fee. This fee compensates the Sitter for time, preparation, and inconvenience. The fee is non-refundable and non-negotiable. The Sitter must upload at least one photo showing the pet's behavior at the time of cancellation.
- Evidence requirement: At drop-off the Owner must confirm in the app that the Sitter’s face matches their verified photo before handing over the pet. Both parties confirm drop-off and pick-up times. Failure to submit required evidence may result in forfeiture of dispute rights.
- Owner liability: Owners are liable for false health declarations, undisclosed behavioral issues, and any damage caused by their pet.
4. Refund Policy
PetFena never takes your money up front. We place a hold on your card when a sitter accepts, and only charge it when the stay is finished.
How the hold works
- When a sitter accepts, the full amount is held on the card you added when requesting the stay (for stays more than 6 days away, up to 6 days before pick-up). Nothing leaves your account yet.
- The hold shows as pending on your statement and lowers your available balance.
- The charge happens when the stay ends — and the sitter is paid after that.
If the stay is cancelled before it is finished
- Nothing owed: we cancel the hold outright. No charge ever appears. Banks usually drop the pending line within 1–5 business days.
- Part owed (a late cancellation fee, or hours the sitter already worked): we charge only that part and release the rest of the hold at the same time.
- Already charged (the stay ended, or a long stay was charged 6 days after the hold): we send a refund back to the same card, normally arriving in 5–10 business days.
When no sitter is found
If your sitter cancels and we cannot match a replacement, or you stop the search, you get 100% back automatically — the hold is released or the charge refunded in full.
Stays longer than 6 days
Card holds only last a few days, so we never keep one for more than 6 days. For stays longer than that, we charge your card 6 days after the hold is placed instead of at the end, and anything owed back to you afterwards is refunded to the same card.
What is not refunded
- The PetFena service fee is kept on any cancellation within 24 hours of drop-off. Inside that window the sitter keeps 25% of the service price, rising to 50% within 12 hours.
- Hours a sitter has already worked before a mid-stay cancellation.
Staff-verified emergencies are handled separately and can be refunded in full at our discretion.
Checking a refund
Signed-in owners can see every cancelled stay and its refund on the refunds page.
5. Sitter tier program
Sitters start at the Basic tier and move up one tier (Standard, then Premium) after five 5-star reviews in a row. One 4-star review within a streak is forgiven; a second 4-star review, or any review of 3 stars or lower, restarts the count. Two reviews in a row of 3 stars or lower move the Sitter down one tier. A tier upgrade waits while a dispute about the Sitter is open. Sitter no-shows and repeated cancellations can also move a Sitter down, as described in the Cancellation Policy.
6. Reviews and communication
- Owners may leave a review after a completed visit. Reviews must be honest, accurate, and not abusive, defamatory, or misleading.
- Chat between Owners and Sitters opens after a booking is accepted. Both parties must communicate respectfully and may not use PetFena to arrange off-platform payments.
7. Conduct and prohibited activity
You may not:
- Use PetFena for illegal, fraudulent, or abusive purposes.
- Harass, discriminate against, or endanger other users, pets, or people.
- Circumvent platform fees by arranging payment, future bookings, or ongoing pet care outside PetFena, including by exchanging phone numbers, email addresses, or other contact details with another user for that purpose.
- Provide false information in profiles, listings, or reviews.
- Attempt to manipulate ratings, tier status, or search results.
Arrangements made outside PetFena are not covered by PetFena's protections: the sitter background check and ID verification requirements in Section 8, the escrow-held payment protection in Section 4, and PetFena staff's dispute support are available only for stays booked, messaged, and paid for through the platform. PetFena may warn, suspend, or permanently remove an account that repeatedly circumvents the platform.
8. Identity and safety standards
Verified identity
Owners and Sitters submit a government photo ID and a selfie during account setup, before they can use the rest of PetFena. PetFena uses automated checks to compare them and approves clear matches automatically, and our team reviews everything else. At drop-off the Owner confirms in the app that the Sitter’s face matches their verified photo. Sitters who change address must provide new proof of address, pet-friendly housing, and active renters or homeowners insurance with a pet clause.
Before a Sitter can go online
Sitters can only switch themselves Online, and be offered stays, once every step in “Finish setting up” is done: invited by an Owner, sitter profile, verified ID, approved proof that their home may host pets, active renters or homeowners insurance with a pet clause (with the policy document), a clear background check (the Sitter pays the screening fee) and a bank account linked for payouts. The payout account’s address must match the Sitter’s PetFena address; to change it, update the address in PetFena first. If they don’t match, payouts are paused until they do.
No high-value accessories
Pets must not wear or bring high-value collars, tags, GPS trackers, jewelry or other luxury accessories to a stay. PetFena and sitters accept no liability for loss of, or damage to, luxury or high-value items. Owners confirm this when requesting a stay.
Mixed animals and multiple pets
Sitters must disclose every animal living in their home and whether they may care for pets from more than one household at the same time. Owners see these disclosures before paying. Sitters who host other animals agree to these standards:
- Disclose every animal living in your home, and whether you care for pets from more than one household at the same time, in your listing. Keep it up to date.
- Never leave predator and prey species together unsupervised (for example dogs or cats with birds, rabbits, rodents, reptiles or fish).
- Introduce pets from different households gradually and only with each owner's agreement; separate them straight away at any sign of stress or aggression.
- Feed pets separately, keep each pet's food, medication and supplies apart, and never share bowls between households.
- Give each pet its own secure space to rest, and keep cages, tanks and enclosures closed and out of reach of other animals.
- Resident animals must be healthy and up to date on vaccinations and parasite treatment before you host other pets.
- Report any fight, injury or escape to the owner and PetFena straight away.
Owners booking several pets, or pets of different species, must describe how they get along in each pet profile.
9. Disclaimers and liability
- PetFena is a marketplace platform, not a pet care provider. We do not employ Sitters and are not liable for the actions, omissions, or quality of service of any Sitter.
- Owners are responsible for accurately describing their pets’ health, behavior, and needs.
- PetFena and Sitters accept no liability for loss of, or damage to, high-value collars, tags, GPS trackers, jewelry or other luxury accessories brought to a stay.
- PetFena does not provide insurance, accident coverage, veterinary coverage, or guarantees for any booking. Owners and Sitters assume the risks of their arrangements and are solely responsible for accidents, injuries, illness, death, escape or loss of a pet, veterinary expenses, property damage, and personal injury arising from or connected with a visit, to the fullest extent permitted by law.
- Any identity or background-check status displayed by PetFena is limited to the specific check shown and is not an endorsement, guarantee of safety, or substitute for the user’s own judgment.
- To the fullest extent permitted by law, PetFena’s liability is limited to the fees paid for the specific booking giving rise to the claim.
10. Termination
We may put an account on hold or disable it if it violates these Terms, engages in fraud, or creates risk for other users. An account on hold or disabled keeps its access to stays already booked and any payout already owed, but cannot request or accept new bookings until it's restored; we tell you the reason and you can reach our support team about it.
Creating a new account does not restore access to a restricted one. When you sign up, we check whether your name and date of birth, or your home address, match an account we've put on hold or disabled, and we may decline to create the new account if they do.
You may delete your account at any time by contacting support or from your Profile.
11. Sitter referral program
Sitters may share a personal referral code or link. If someone creates an account using it, PetFena records that referral. Once the referred person completes their first stay in good standing, the referring Sitter receives $10 of PetFena credit. This credit has no cash value, cannot be withdrawn, transferred, or paid out, and is applied automatically to reduce PetFena's own commission on the Sitter's next completed stay — it is never added to a payout as extra cash. The credit is used in full the first time it applies to a stay: it is capped to that stay's PetFena commission, and any amount above the commission is forfeited rather than carried forward to a future stay. PetFena may change, pause or end the referral program, or decline or reverse a referral we reasonably believe is fraudulent (for example, referring an account you also control), at any time.
12. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated through the platform or by email. Continued use after changes means you accept the updated Terms.
13. Governing law and contact
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles, and any dispute will be heard in the state or federal courts located in Washington, unless the law where you live gives you the right to bring it elsewhere. Questions about these Terms can be sent to info@petfena.com.