More and more renters are enjoying the companionship of an emotional support fauna (ESA) to cope with their mental and emotional health issues. There is a growing trend recognizing the of import benefits these animals provide for their owners. Under federal and country housing rules, landlords cannot discriminate against tenants who need emotional support animals and ESA owners are allowed to live with their animals even in buildings that accept "no pets allowed" policies.

In this article, nosotros will examine the process of renting an apartment with an emotional support animal and explore ways to deal with potentially difficult landlords. Renters with emotional support animals accept specific rights and protections under federal and state rules. We will explore how these rules safeguard a tenant'south right to have an ESA and how renters can authorize for these benefits.

Having an ESA and living in a Housing with a No Pets Policy

Under federal Fair Housing rules, an emotional support animate being is a type of assistance animal that is not considered an ordinary everyday pet. That means that a landlord's usual policies regarding pets do non utilize to an ESA. And then even if a edifice completely prohibits pets, the landlord must however make accommodations for emotional back up animals.

It is important for ESA owners to understand ESA rules so that they are able to properly accept reward of the benefits of owning an ESA. Information technology is besides wise to advisedly program and consider how to approach your landlord with an ESA request. Even though a landlord may exist legally obligated to accommodate an ESA, you lot notwithstanding want to be on good terms with them and be cooperative in working through whatsoever issues that come upwards.

Beneath are some steps and tips to consider when approaching your landlord, building possessor, HOA or co-op that volition assistance you successfully bring your emotional support animal into your rental home.

  1. Get an ESA Letter of the alphabet from a Therapist
    Getting your paperwork together to show your potential or existing landlord is crucial in helping the ESA adaptation process go smoothly. Under Fair Housing rules, landlords are permitted to request documentation from a renter in order to prove that their animal companion is an bodily emotional support animal. There is just one form of documentation that will do the task under Fair Housing Rules: a recommendation letter from a licensed wellness care professional.

    An ESA letter from a licensed professional person will institute that you take a inability such as depression, anxiety or PTSD and state your demand for an emotional support fauna to address your wellness bug. This certificate should be signed and dated past the licensed professional, and also contain their license and contact information. A landlord has the right to demand an ESA alphabetic character from a tenant requesting adaptation for their ESA to ensure the request is 18-carat. If yous would like to qualify for an ESA letter of the alphabet remotely, that is an selection available to you as well.

  2. Allow Your Landlord Know About your ESA
    One time y'all accept qualified your animate being companion as an emotional support animal with an ESA letter, it'due south now fourth dimension to approach your landlord. The all-time approach is to go on in a friendly and open up manner. You can make your ESA request verbally or in writing (via email for instance). The vast majority of landlords are happy to comply with their obligations under Fair Housing rules, and many landlords are sympathetic when information technology comes to the mental health needs of their tenants.

    Your landlord is entitled to verify that your animal friend is indeed an ESA past requesting an ESA alphabetic character. You are not nether whatever obligation to disclose your specific disability or other sensitive details near your condition. Under Fair Housing guidance, landlords are encouraged to engage in a good-faith interactive dialogue with the tenant to resolve any issues regarding their ESA request. It is important that both sides mind to each other and work together to resolve any barriers to all-around the emotional back up animal.

    Once you submit a request for ESA accommodation, your housing provider has to respond promptly, and inside 10 days. They also cannot charge you an application fee or whatsoever other type of fee in order to consider your ESA request. If the landlord has whatever doubts or questions well-nigh your request, they should let you know what they feel is missing and offer you lot an opportunity to provide additional information. Under Off-white Housing rules, landlords are simply permitted to deny an ESA request in limited circumstances, such equally if they decide the ESA is safety risk to others.

    1 common question that renters applying for a new apartment have is whether they should concur off on disclosing that they have an ESA. These tenants often fearfulness that they will be discriminated confronting and be rejected for an flat before they can fifty-fifty sign the lease. There is no Off-white Housing mandate to disembalm an ESA at the fourth dimension you apply for an apartment. Landlords are as well obligated to consider an ESA asking from a tenant whenever they receive it.

    However, yous should weigh these factors confronting whether it will truly thing if you disclose your ESA to your landlord when applying for an apartment and how your landlord might react if afterwards they experience they were misled. In that location is a human component to retrieve about when dealing with a landlord who yous may take to alive with for a potentially long fourth dimension. Remember, federal laws protect your right to alive with an emotional back up beast. That being said, some renters choose to submit their ESA request after they sign their lease considering it gives them comfort that they will non exist subjected to unwarranted discrimination.

  3. Brand Certain your Animal Behaves
    It is important for renters to understand that under Fair Housing rules, at that place are certain situations where a landlord is allowed to deny an ESA request. For case, the landlord can validly reject an ESA if the landlord makes a conclusion that having the ESA in the domicile would constitute a direct threat to the health or rubber of other individuals. Landlords tin can also deny ESAs that would cause substantial physical damage to the property of others.

    Although emotional back up animals exercise non need any specialized grooming to address their possessor'southward mental health consequence, they should always be well-behaved and obedient. A landlord may be justified in evicting an ESA that causes substantial holding damage or is threatening to other tenants. Being a skilful neighbor with an ESA that does not cause a nuisance is also just the right thing to do.

    ESA owners should likewise be aware that if their ESA causes whatsoever damage to the rented property or common areas of the edifice, they volition exist responsible for paying for the costs. Although landlords can't request a pet deposit or fees for an ESA, they are immune to deduct any expenses for damages from the tenant'south general security deposit.

    A well-behaved ESA also serves as a good ambassador for other ESAs and their owners. The ESA community at large benefits from showing landlords and other residents that emotional support animals won't interfere with their daily lives and do not pose any type of threat to their prophylactic or belongings.

  4. Understand what Rights you Have every bit an ESA Owner
    The Fair Housing Act was enacted to stop landlords and edifice owners from discriminating against tenants that need special assistance in the form of emotional support. Under these rules, renters with ESAs are protected and have special rights.

    As previously discussed, ESAs must exist accommodated fifty-fifty in buildings that commonly forbid pets. In addition, housing providers are not immune to charge a fee or deposit relating to the emotional support animal, even though they may tenants that accept normal pets. It is as well important to note that housing providers cannot disallow an ESA solely because it is a certain breed or weight. For example, even if a edifice'south policies prohibit dogs that are over 20 pounds, the housing provider must still accommodate a large emotional support dog.

    Fair Housing rules with respect to ESAs apply to most types of rented housing, including apartments, condominiums, and single-family homes. In that location are however some smaller rental buildings that are exempt from Fair Housing rules regarding ESAs. Renters that are in owner-occupied buildings with no more than than iv units and single-family houses sold or rented by the possessor without the employ of an agent are not protected by Fair Housing rules. Notwithstanding, many landlords in these types of housing will still adjust ESAs as a courtesy, fifty-fifty though legally they are not obligated to practice and so.

Emotional Support Animal Discrimination Cases

Most landlords and apartment managers are happy to fulfill their obligations under Fair Housing rules when it comes to emotional support animals. At that place are some landlords that are unaware these rules fifty-fifty exist, but come around one time they are informed of what federal and state laws demand of them.

Unfortunately, there is a small subset of housing providers that are unreasonably difficult about ESA accommodations and utilize various tactics to try to turn down a tenant's rightful ESA asking. Many landlords have been sued for not properly adhering to rules regarding a tenant's right to live with their ESA. Beneath are just a few examples of cases that have been brought relating to violations of ESA rules:

  • Breed and Weight Discrimination Case
  • ESA Dog in College Dorm Housing Instance
  • Additional Fees/Pet Deposit for ESA Case

It is never a pleasant situation for anyone to get embroiled in a legal dispute regarding an ESA. Most landlords are reasonable and volition come to an agreement regarding a tenant's ESA after constructive dialogue with the tenant.

Nevertheless, if you are a renter and yous believe your housing provider is violating your legal rights even after numerous attempts to resolve the situation amicably, you have the option of filing a complaint straight with HUD. However, this should really be used equally a final resort option and in situations where a housing provider is egregiously violating your federally protected rights as an ESA owner.

Qualifying for an ESA letter

Living with an Emotional Support Beast is your right if you have mental and emotional health struggles. If y'all don't have access to a therapist, you lot tin connect with one online through ESADoctors.com. Click on the link below to get started with your online ESA evaluation.

Get Started

Outset your questionnaire at present to see if yous qualify for an emotional support animal.