Laws about assistance animals are basically the same for all the states. But is the treatment really the same everywhere? In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about emotional support animals in Florida condos. Let’s start with the basics.
If you believe an emotional support animal would benefit your life, complete the questionnaire in the link below and connect with a licensed therapist today.
What are Emotional Support Animals?
Emotional support animals are a type of assistance animal that helps people cope with their mental or emotional disability through love and companionship.
These animals are usually dogs and cats. However, they can be other types of domesticated animals such as rabbits, lizards, rats, birds, etc.
The most important things are:
- The animal is domesticated
- It is not a danger to anyone
- It’s potty trained, friendly, and calm
- A licensed mental health professional prescribed and ESA
- The animal helps ease your symptoms
How do you get to live with emotional support animals in Florida condos?
In order to live with an ESA, you must have an ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional.
People with mental or emotional disabilities need continuous support. Hence, it’s only natural that people who own animals that can help battle the disorder live with these pets. But just because this is so important for an individual’s mental health, the process isn’t any simpler.
There are requirements owners have to meet in order to live with their emotional support animals in Florida condos.
First, they need to get a diagnosis of their mental or emotional disability. The diagnosis needs to come from a licensed psychiatrist, psychologist, clinical social worker, or other mental health professional.
Next, the patient needs to be evaluated for the disorder. During an evaluation, the therapist can determine if the patient could actually benefit from an emotional support animal. If this is the case, the patient gets an emotional support animal letter. This letter is a prescription for an ESA. There are certain criteria the letter needs to satisfy but your therapist should know this.
Click here to get started on qualifying for your ESA letter.
To live with emotional support animals in Florida condos, show this letter to housing managers. And make sure you get the document from an authorized person. Otherwise, your request for accommodation won’t get you through the front door.
If you want to live in a no-pet facility in Florida, you can’t just show up with your animal. You need to file a request with the homeowners association and present your ESA letter.
In the process, you might need to answer some questions. Once they verify you, you’ll get access. Note that you can also apply for rental properties.
However, if your animal is destructive or causes harm to other residents, they can deny accommodation. This can also happen to owners of emotional support animals in Florida condos if the animal is too large (ie. a horse in a condo) or if the animal is dangerous.
Homeowners’ doubts about emotional support animals in Florida condos
There are certain benefits that come from owning an emotional support animal. Apart from the obvious, which is easing symptoms of mental health disorders, there are other perks.
Owners can bring their ESAs into housing facilities and board them on planes without having to pay any extra pet fees. The laws such as the Fair Housing Act and Air Carrier Access Act make this possible.
Emotional support animal owners can live in “no-pets” condos and apartments without paying additional pet fees or deposits.
Unfortunately, some people have started to try and go around ESA regulations. These people will try and register their pet as an ESA without getting the correct documents from a licensed therapist.
These practices have made it harder for people to live with emotional support animals in Florida condos.
Homeowners associations are getting more accommodation requests every day. And some of these requests are invalid. This is because many people are registering emotional support animals online from sites that don’t have the authorization to give them. As a result, even people who make valid requests are being scrutinized by HOAs.
Before filing your request, do your homework and get a valid emotional support animal letter from a real licensed mental health professional. When you do this, unless your animal is a threat to other tenants, you shouldn’t have much trouble.
Another exception can be that providing accommodation for you and your companion would cause a great financial or administrative burden to the facility. This goes beyond the scope of “reasonable” accommodation so, in theory, the request can be denied.
Emotional Support Animals
Emotional support animals can provide health benefits to their owners and let them live a more balanced life.
Emotional support animals can be a huge relief for someone suffering from a physical, psychological, or mental illness. These comfort animals can provide the support and love to help those immobilized by their disorders. If you see someone with an emotional support animal, choose compassion over judgement.
Get your emotional support animal letter online.
100% Money back guarantee if you do not qualify.
I live in a condo and large breed dogs has gotten way out of had. Anyone can go online claim dog is ESA and get letter for the board. We just had an “ESA” pit bull mix bite someone unprovoked from the back. What are the options for the board to limit everyone from claiming their dog is ESA. Service dogs I totally agree with but ESA have gotten way out of had…
Landlords do not have to accommodate emotional support animals that pose a threat to the safety or health of others. If a resident’s ESA has attacked someone, that is certainly grounds to deny that tenant’s ESA accommodation. Tenants do not have to tolerate a neighbor’s emotional support animal that threatens their safety.
my mil is moving into my condo and there is a weight limit no issue she has him registered as a esa they said it has to be a medical dr that she is currently seeing in person. her sea is from a licensed psych and they are giving me a hard time what do I do
You are absolutely allowed to get an ESA letter from a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist. In fact, most ESA letters are NOT from physicians, they are from mental health specialists such as therapists. Please see this link for more info: https://esadoctors.com/who-can-write-an-esa-letter/
My association is telling me that only I am allowed to take my dog for a walk around the complex since she is my ESA. I live with my boyfriend and he walks her sometimes when I am not home or unable to. Can they tell me who is allowed to walk my dog? Would it be animal neglect if we waited until only I was able to walk her?
As an ESA owner you are allowed to have others take care of your dog.
I live in St Petersburg Florida. I was under a lot of stress selling my house of 36 years my cat is 18 years dying and moving into a condo and retiring. Lots of stress. I had a cardiac arrest when I was 55 at 68 I had to have the battery replaced and a new wire put in my heart twice because the first time it fell out. I was living with my sister in my condo to share expenses but she moved out to have her own place and I understand. But now I want a cat. The president of our building which is a no-pet building but people have pets cats dogs Birds. When I asked her she said oh just get me a letter that says it’s an emotional support pet and you’ll be able to get have one. Later that week she said I really read through the rules and you’re supposed to own the pet before you buy and then apply for an emotional support animal variance. Do I have any options since she said no. Under the Fair Housing Act am I allowed to get the letter and present it to her and tell her I’m getting a cat I just need options. Thank you
You can obtain an ESA letter before adopting the ESA, and you can also submit your ESA letter in advance and the landlord may be able to grant you pre-approval for the ESA you plan to adopt.
My condo has a no pet rule, however more than fifty percent of the residents have a dog as an ESA. I don’t understand how these people claim they rely on these dogs for a disability but yet they go to work every day without the dog. How is that dog performing it’s duty while his patient is at work? Is the dog supposed to always be with his patient? Also, if I have a party and invite this person, do I have to allow the dog to come to the party also?
I have rights too. I moved from a house in a gated community and the neighbor next to me would leave his dog out at 5am while he went in the shower and the dog continually barked outside my window, so I moved to a no pet condo and there are more dogs there than what was at my old community. The renter across the hall from me has a husky which sheds a lot and the carpet between our doors is always full of dog hair. My Grandson and daughter-in-law have asthma so when they come to my door, how are their rights protected? They’re health is threatened.
If a dog is truly an ESA and a medical professional provides the letter, can the association provide the dog owner a card if they’ve received proper documentation and confirm the dog is an ESA? If the security guard is not familiar with the dog, can he request to see the card the association would provide the owner? Residents have friends visiting and THEY bring in their dogs. Their rights are protected more than mine.
HELP!
A few things: 1. You may be confusing an ESA with service dogs. ESAs do not need special training to perform tasks related to a disability, and it is very common for owners to leave them at home while they work or run errands. Service dogs on the other hand perform tasks related to a disability, and are generally more by the owner’s side at all times. 2. You cannot require ESA owners to carry around a card. A landlord verifies the tenant actually needs an ESA letter by verifying they have a letter from a licensed healthcare professional. 3. As a non-ESA owner, you also have the right to enjoy your apartment in peace. If there is an ESA that is disturbing you or creating a health issue for you, the association can help make sure your rights are also protected. If you have an issue with a tenant and their ESA, you should try to discuss the issue with them first as a neighbor, and then report them to your association if necessary.
May a condo association require you to use a service elevator when going in or outside with your ESA and require you to carry your dog if small not to walk it thru the main lobby but put it down outside to avoid possible accidents like going to stop and pee in the lobby.
Some resident go out the lower lobby and out the lower door with big dogs
ESA owners have to be allowed in common areas where other tenants are allowed to go.
Can a Florida HOA require that they be named as an additional insured on a homeowner’s liability insurance policy with a minimum liability insurance amount of $100,000 for an ESA? My insurance company told me that I do not have coverage for animal liability on my policy and that I would have to purchase a separate policy.
Fair Housing rules are silent on this issue. However, it is arguably discriminatory if one resident is forced to pay for additional insurance solely because they have a disability related need for an emotional support animal.
My condo president is asking for me to present a letter from a veterinarian for my ESA labrador. I researched this request or where an HOA can request one and I cannot find a reference to this issue.
I am not wanting to get into a big fight with the HOA but are HOAs allowed to deny me and my ESA labrador for not providing one?
Housing providers are allowed to determine whether an ESA poses a safety or health danger to others. It would depend on what exactly your landlord is requesting, but it’s not uncommon for landlords to verify that an ESA is up to date on vaccinations for example.
While ESAs are allowed to walk the premises with their owner does this also mean that they can relieve themselves wherever they walk? in other words, can a condo development restrict where a dog relieves itself?
Yes, just because an animal is an ESA does not mean it is exempt from basic safety and hygiene rules.
My father owns a condo in Florida but his unit does not allow pets. He got a letter from his doctor support his need for an emotional support dog as my mom passed on March and he is suffering from anxiety and depression. He is in Florida for the winter months from Illinois. He presented the letter to the Association president yesterday and she is saying the letter has to be from a Florida mental health care doctor. Is this accurate? He is not a resident of Florida and does not have a doctor in Florida.
We’re not aware of any requirement under the Fair Housing Act that demands an ESA letter come from an LMHP that is located in a particular state. An important consideration is whether the LMHP is licensed in the state the client is in, but in your situation that seems to be the case.