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.
Our hoa has sign posted at pool that only service animals are allowed in pool area not emotional support animals. It says esa are not required to be allowed in the pool area – this is in Florida. Is this true?
The Department of Housing has stated that ESAs are allowed “in all areas of the premises where persons are normally allowed to go, unless doing so would impose an undue financial and administrative burden or would fundamentally alter the nature of the housing provider’s services.” This would generally include your residence and the common areas of the building. If there is an area of the building open to members of the public however, some legal commentators indicate that emotional support animals can be excluded.
My psychiatrist has written a letter prescribing my need for an ESA. The BOD of the condo where I’m moving to wants an extensive form filled out with redundant info from my doctor plus affidavits that my doctor understands certain data about the condo community — like it’s a golf community, that residents share a laundry facility, that this community is a NO PET COMMUNITY, and so on. Then, the DOCTOR is supposed to have this “absurd” document NOTARIZED! I did not have my doctor complete this affidavit, and do not intend to. Can this jeopardize my getting approval for my ESA? I have complied with all of the other stipulations.
Forms like that are no longer allowed under HUD’s rules: https://esadoctors.com/hud-housing-rules-emotional-support-animals/
I own my home in a 55+ community but they have denied my ESA even though she has been registered with the ADA. they are demanding that she pass their test to allow her back in.
This is not required. An emotional support animal does not have to pass any tests. All you need is the ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional. ADA registrations are not real nor accepted by airlines or landlords/HOA’s.
To qualify for your ESA letter, you may complete the questionnaire in the link below and we will connect you with a licensed mental health professional that can assist you in your state.
https://esadoctors.com/esa-questionnaire/
Are ESA dogs allowed around condo swimming pool areas that are governed by the health department regulations?
The Department of Housing has indicated that an ESA is allowed “in all areas of the premises where persons are normally allowed to go, unless doing so would impose an undue financial and administrative burden or would fundamentally alter the nature of the housing provider’s services.”
Hello my Condo management is asking for my Dr to fill out an additional application from the management company, which is asking very personal questions about my reasons for having a ESA. Can they make me fill this out or is the letter from my Dr sufficient as proof.
If the letter meets FHA requirements, that is all you need. Landlords are not allowed to pry into the specifics of your condition or make tenants with ESAs fill out unreasonable forms.
my mom is purchasing a condo in Florida that does not allow pets. She has a ESA dog with a doctors letter. Can she be denied by the association?
The right to be accompanied by an ESA in your home is protected by the Fair Housing Act. If your ESA letter is valid, the condo association must grant accommodation to your ESA.
Miami has a breed restriction law against pit bulls stating that no one in the county can own them. Does the Fair Housing Act override this law if the pit bull is an ESA?
In one case where a local ordinance prohibited a particular breed of dog, the court found that “if the County ordinance were enforced it would violate the FHA by permitting a discriminatory housing practice.” See Warren v. Delvista Towers Condo. Ass’n, Inc., 49 F. Supp. 3d 1082, 1089 (S.D. Fla. 2014). The court found that the Fair Housing Act preempted or took precedence/authority over the ordinance that banned the particular breed of dog. While the Department of Housing has not specifically stated anything about city bans on certain breeds, it has stated that categorical breed limitations cannot be applied to ESAs.
Must a condo allow the ESA to be at the pool or can we demand it stay in the condo
An assistance animal may be at the pool, but cannot swim in the pool per health code regulations. Reasonable accommodations are required for emotional support animals.
hello
I am an owner of a condo in Florida in a community with a “no Pets policy” and I have received an ESA letter however, the condo association and requiring my doctor to fill out a questionnaire and sign in front of a notary in addition to the ESA letter. Is this legal?
The requirement of using a notary is very unusual and not something the Fair Housing Act requires. A signed letter from your doctor on their letterhead should be more than sufficient verification that the doctor wrote the letter. Whether the questionnaire is allowable depends on the nature of what is being asking – for example, housing providers are not permitted to request detailed medical information about the tenant’s condition.
Wrong!!! ESAs do not have the public access rights afforded a Service Dog team. Per Federal legislation, an ESA is not a Service Animal
That is correct, ESAs do not have general public access rights the way service dogs do. However, they do have the right to live with their owners in housing and have access to common areas such as pools which are on the premises.
Our complex allows ESA accommodation but states that the animal must not be left alone in the condo at anytime? Is this a legal requirement? Doctors will not allow an ESA in the office nor do supermarkets, so what do you do with your animal during these times?
This is not a requirement for emotional support animals. Leaving your ESA at home while you shop or work could be considered “reasonable accommodations” which is what is required by law.
Is it the case that if an esa is approved, it is approved for the disabled person, not for the condo or apartment itself, therefore the esa cannot be left alone or in the care of others?
An apartment or condo must provide reasonable accommodations for people with emotional support animals. Allowing you to leave your animal alone at home while you are at work should be considered a reasonable accommodation request.
Your HOA cannot request private medical information.
I have a large dog and I live in a mobile home park 55+ community. They allow one dog per house hold. Currently there is already a small dog. This second dog is extremely friendly. Can your letter allow him to stay with me in the complex? can ESA dog to be added to a rule that only allows one dog?
thanks
An emotional support animal is not considered a pet so it should not count as a second dog.
I moved into a long term rental in a condo. Do I just show them the ESA letter from the doctor?
Yes, you can submit your ESA letter to your landlord or HOA for reasonable accommodations.