The main legal rights for emotional support animals are housing-related. Find out how to disclose your ESA to your landlord or HOA, housing rights, and more here.
Learn about bringing your ESA or service dog to your college campus.
Practical tips and advice for dealing with your HOA when you have an ESA or service dog.
Guides for renters who want to live with their pet, ESA or service dog.
Emotional support animals (ESA) are pets that provide comfort to owners with mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, and other disorders diagnosed by...
When you have an emotional support animal (ESA) and the right documentation, you are protected by certain rights under federal law when it comes to...
The law protects owners of emotional support animals (ESAs). Housing providers must accommodate ESA owners, even if they have a policy or lease that prohibits...
According to a 2020 Harris Poll, about 30% of Americans are looking to move to less densely populated areas. Gone are the times when people flocked to the cities — the most coveted regions are now more suburban or rural. In 2020, about 5% of New Yorkers moved out of the city. Pos [...]
Congratulations, your therapist or doctor just approved you for an emotional support animal and gave you a signed ESA letter! Once you receive your ESA letter, your pet — or future pet — has officially qualified as an emotional support animal. As an ESA owner, you have special r [...]
When you have an emotional support animal (ESA) and the right documentation, you are protected by certain rights under federal law when it comes to housing. The Fair Housing Act and guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Housing (HUD) ensure that ESA owners are not unfairly [...]
...and How to Protect Yourself as a Landlord Under the Fair Housing Act, housing providers such as landlords, Co-Ops, and HOAs cannot charge their tenants fees, deposits, and surcharges with their emotional support animals (ESA). ESAs are not considered pets for purposes of Fair [...]
Yes, under federal and state rules, landlords have to reasonably accommodate tenants that need an ESA to support their mental health. Even if they have a building policy that prohibits all pets.
Fair housing rules generally apply to most public and private landlords. That includes rental apartments, co-ops and HOAs. A few smaller landlords are exempt: owner-occupied buildings with no more than four units and single-family homes sold or rented by the owner without the use of an agent.
Landlords are entitled to see only one document to confirm a tenant’s animal is an ESA. That document is an ESA letter signed by a licensed healthcare professional. Landlords cannot ask for other documents like IDs, licenses or certificates.