emotional support

What to Do If My Landlord Denies My Emotional Support Animal?

emotional support

While searching for rented accommodation, it isn’t uncommon to see that housing providers or landlords have imposed a policy of ‘no pets’ as a portion of their agreement. Usually, it’s due to multiple factors like noise, possible property damage, or merely due to insurance limitations. While most renters must abide by this policy, there are a few circumstances in which people are permitted to keep animals in accommodation in which a ‘no pet’ policy is imposed.

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The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) states that disabled individuals might reside in accommodation with their service animals, even when pets aren’t typically permitted. It’s because service animals are very well behaved because of their extensive training and aren’t considered pets. As emotional support animals are given to people as a therapeutic treatment for any psychological disorders, a few landlords will permit them to reside with their owners in spite of the ‘no pet’ policy, yet they aren’t always obliged to, and won’t always permit this. Therefore, what might you do if the landlord doesn’t accept an emotional support animal?

An ESA isn’t the same as a Service Animal

Animals long have been utilized to medically help human beings with a variety of needs, like a service dog to help a visually impaired or blind individual with protection and navigation, or emotional support animal that provides companionship and affection as a portion of a treatment strategy for anxiety problems. Such animals both offer a likewise service, yet aren’t equally regarded in the eyes of the law.

A service animal is specifically trained to aid with a person’s disability and is recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act. [1*] However, emotional support animals aren’t approved animals by the ADA and thereby aren’t exempt from specific limitations like accessibility to private establishments or public places in the same way service animals are.

service dog

Service Dogs’ Traits

As applying to rent private accommodation that has a ‘no pets’ policy may be a fairly straightforward procedure for service animal owners because of the ADA, [2*] the same procedure may be a bit trickier for those who have emotional support animals. Don’t panic, though! Fair Housing Act protects emotional support animal owners to reside with their emotional support animals within the majority of housing circumstances.

Some landlords may approve ESAs; some may not

Because landlords aren’t obliged to accept such animals while processing your application within the same way they must with service dogs, you might need to accept that some accommodation might be off limits to you if you don’t have an ESA letter or documentation from a therapist that is licensed

Whether you already own an emotional support animal and want new accommodation, or already reside in accommodation that has a ‘no pet’ policy and were assigned an emotional support animal, you might be faced with some barriers concerning your application. Read further to figure out how you can protect yourself from landlords who are uninformed.

How to obtain an ESA letter

Begin by asking your own therapist or doctor to check if they provide this service to you. It is vital that you communicate all mental health conditions to the health care provider and be transparent so the doctor can understand your needs. If approved by the doctor or therapist, they’ll offer you their official ESA Letter that makes your animal an official ESA. In taking your health seriously, your Emotional Support Animal may be the assistance that you’re searching for.  It may make a huge difference by having the animal by your side as you need it! If by some chance they don’t know about how to prescribe an official ESA Letter or don’t believe in it, it’s possible to seek assistance from additional resources online which may offer you one.

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What do you do if your landlord says “NO” to your ESA?

If you offer the proper paperwork from a licensed therapist and the landlord still is insistent about not permitting the emotional support animal, there are a few options.

  • Call HUD to file a complaint
  • Call an attorney and have them create a firmly-worded letter to the landlord
  • Call an ESA advocate which will point you in the proper direction

All hope isn’t lost because of the FHA

When might apartments not permit my emotional support animal?

They will include specific situations in which landlords aren’t obliged to accept such animals, like:

  • Buildings which have four or lee dwellings of which a landlord is the occupant of one
  • A single-family dwelling sold or rented w/o a real estate broker
ESA

Steps to Take When Your Landlord Rejects Your ESA

Thankfully, accommodations which don’t fall under those categories aren’t imposed by such limitations and have to consider all emotional support or service animal applications.

As service animals are looked upon a bit more favorably, the truth that such animals technically aren’t pets is going to go a long way as a landlord processes the application.

Should the landlord determine not to accept the emotional support animal, and if the accommodation does not come underneath one of the categories above, you ought to offer them a letter from a mental health professional who is licensed, which, underneath the Fair Housing Act, ought to be enough evidence of your necessity for an emotional support animal for the application.

For any reason, if you do not have the ability to get a letter from a mental health professional, there will include several available services that offer enough evidence after successful evaluation.

Get a legitimate ESA letter by clicking the button below.

Even though applying for an apartment usually is a straightforward procedure for those who have emotional support animals, without the necessity to hop through hoops to be permitted to reside with their animal, occasionally the procedure may be a bit trickier than it should be. By offering a letter from a mental health professional like your psychiatrist, therapist, or psychologist that verifies your necessity for an ESA, you ought to have little issue making a successful application underneath the FHA.

Schedule an appointment to get your ESA letter today from a licensed Doctor.

ESA Letter

Emotional Support Animal Letter

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in the parentheses (1, 2, 3) are clickable links to peer-reviewed scientific papers.