Home Page › Blog › Service Dog Letter For Landlords: Why You Don’t Need One
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How to Bring a Service Dog to Disneyland
Trained service dogs are more than welcome to join their handlers at Disneyland. In this guide, we’ll explain Disneyland’s policies and give practical advice for bringing a service dog to Disneyland for the first time. Disneyland’s Service Dog Policies The Magic Kingdom is happy to welcome trained service dogs across most park locations! They kindly […]
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Can Dogs Eat Tomatoes?
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Can a Primary Care Doctor Write an ESA Letter?
Your family doctor, also called a primary care physician (PCP), can write a letter recommending an emotional support animal. We’ll explain what legally gives them that ability and explore what better options might be available for you. Why are Physicians Able to Write an ESA Letter? To turn your pet into an emotional support animal, […]
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The ADA does not apply to housing. The Fair Housing Act does. This article is way off the mark. Under the Federal Fair Housing Act landlords must allow service animals, but they may also require a letter or Rx from a medical professional showing a dog is needed/recommended.
Thanks for your feedback and sorry if that wasn’t clear – the Fair Housing Act is what protects service dogs in housing. However, you do not need a letter for a service dog. Only owners of emotional support animals need to provide a letter from their licensed healthcare professional.
Can a landlord be expected to allow a working person to leave the service dog home alone??
Owners of assistance animals are allowed to leave their animals at home for short periods of time when they are not needed.
Nope I just proved my apartment complexes lawyers you don’t need any paperwork. You just need to answer two question verbally or written it’s the disabled person choice. That is does the service dog serve your disability. The other is does your service animal help with your disability. That is it nothing more. Took me two month to shut the landlord down.
My landlord is making me pay for my service dog, who do I have to contact about it? because I told them he was a service dog and per ADA as long as he preforms a service (which he does) that’s all they need to know, that they didn’t need a letter for my service dogs, just my ESA’s. but they are still making me pay a pet deposit
Under Fair Housing rules landlords are never allowed to charge fees and deposits to accommodate a service dog.
Well first off let me say this with all due respect to emotional support animals or ESA’s, the landlord does have a right to require paperwork on an emotional support animal. Because being an emotional support animal is not the same as being a service animal there is a technical difference, and for the guy that’s using logic over law, I think you better look a little bit more into the logic of things. Cuz if not you’re going to be in trouble with the law.
If your dog is not properly trained, then putting a vest on it and calling it a service dog does not make it a service dog. It is still an emotional support animal until such a time that it is trained to do certain things that you yourself cannot do without assistance that’s what a service animal is. A support animal is there for mental support emotional support or what have you. And a service animal is there to perform tasks that you yourself cannot do without assistance. Those are the legal terms. So if you’re going up against your landlord or your housing authority or your apartment managers girlfriend who doesn’t like you or whatever it is that’s going on, saying that emotional support animal is a service dog is a lie and it is also against the law.and there are legal ramifications that can and more than likely will be used against you. So just use your head, be smart about it, and be truthful about it. End of rant
You are right, they can be charged for having a fraudulent Service Dog, which they can face charges and fines along with jail time. All a person has to do is contact the ADA, and report the owners of the Dog, or the FHA….
Thanks for such a detailed explanation of the difference between service dogs and ESA! Indeed, with service dogs it’s easier to get access to public spaces and no-pet properties (however, you know, once I had some problems with housing even with my service dog). With ESA, it’s almost impossible to prove people that it’s not an ordinary domestic pet, and that you vitally need it for emotional and psychological stability. For this reason, applying for ESA letter can be a good idea, especially if you love travelling. This post describing in details what documentation can a landlord ask for providing a service or ESA pet can be a good addition to what you’ve already said in this post
Hey there,
My name is Jayce and I have a service dog.
I’m currently working on moving into my new apartment complex and they’re demanding a documentation signed off by a doctor that my service dog is necessary.
How do I go about handling that?
They said that they’ve always had every resident provide one in order to by pass the dog rent and deposit.
Following this. I provided the cards and certificates when we moved in last month. I just got an email requesting a “prescription” for the dog.
Following as well. I have had this issue (more than once!), and I don’t even have my dog yet. Besides, once I know, I can share that correct info with others.
I have lived in my townhouse for 4 years and asked for a VERBAL reasonable accommodation for my service dog from the last owner of the complex. I also provided the letter from my physician, the “prescription” indicating that my dog ameliorates my condition. Everything was fine for 3 years. The complex was sold, and the new landlord kept trying to force me to fill out their own reasonable accommodation form. I told them that they were not allowed to require me to fill out THEIR form, and that they have a copy of my doctor’s letter in my file. I even sent them websites from the ADA, HUD and FHA. They continued to harass me about their own documentation. I told the apartment manager to stop harassing me about this, yet she continued. Then, the regional manager said they needed to do an “inspection” of my apartment (I am very clean as is my dog, and my apartment is nicely appointed), I am unsure as to what they were trying to do….perhaps find a way to get me out of the complex. So, I contacted my state’s Civil Rights Commission to file a complaint. I attempted to file the complaint with HUD/FHA, but they told me there was a “conflict of interest”. The girl who works at FHA LIVES in the complex. This is another issue, so I am trying to get in touch with FHA in Washington D.C. FHA should have taken the case. Anyway, The landlord is only allowed to ask 2 questions, and you are not required to provide paperwork. Tenants have rights if they are disabled and require the dog to help them. You can train the dog yourself, or have them professionally trained. I trained my own because who has $30k for a service dog when they are on a fixed income?
We already have a difficult life and we shouldn’t have to put up with a landlord that is breaking the law and forcing rules on disabled tenants that are illegal. I am still awaiting the determination from the Civil Rights Commission. You can also file your own lawsuit.