Is it possible for a landlord to charge a pet fee or a security deposit for an emotional support service?

Knowing your legal protections will help you find a place to live with your emotional support animal.

It can be difficult to navigate the rental landscape with a service animal.Renters wonder if they have to pay pet fees for a service dog and if their landlord can evict them.You have the right to reasonable accommodations if you have an emotional support animal.You need to know about renting with an emotional support animal.

The Fair Housing Act covers emotional support animals.Animals who serve as assistance animals must be given reasonable accommodation by landlords.Pets who provide emotional support are included.

Legally, assistance animals are not the same as regular pets.Assistance animals can perform physical tasks or provide emotional support to improve symptoms of a disability.

Any animal can be considered an assistance animal.Assistance animals can help with anxiety, depression, and some phobias.Assistance animals don't have the same training as a service animal, but the emotional benefits they provide their owner and a letter from a therapist or medical doctor classify the animal as an assistance animal.

Depending on the type of charge you are talking about.Federal Fair Housing Laws require emotional support animals to be exempt from pet fees.There must be access to housing for emotional support animals.There is a letter from a legitimate health professional that states that you need a support animal for your disability.

Even if your pet is considered an emotional support animal, your landlord can still charge you for certain things.Pets may need a deposit in order to rent.If your animal causes damage to the unit you rent, your landlord can seek compensation.Landlords have a right to take legal action to remove a support animal if it becomes a nuisance.

You have the right to file a complaint with HUD if you believe that you and your emotional support animal are being discriminated against.They will look into your case.

To make sure everyone is on the same page, you should speak with your landlord about having an emotional support animal.Thanks to the FHA, landlords can't ask potential tenants about any kind of disability.If you request reasonable accommodations for an emotional support animal, they can ask for written certification.The certification needs to show that you have a disability and that the support animal can help improve your symptoms.

It can be difficult to speak with a landlord.In the worst case, landlords may try to ask probing questions or request sensitive medical information if they are unaware of laws regarding emotional support animals.Knowing your rights will allow you to get the accommodations you need.If you feel pressured by questions that make you uncomfortable, you can request the landlord email their questions and let them know that they should seek out legal advice, as inquiring about your disability is illegal.

Your landlord can not evict you because you have an emotional support animal.You have to follow the rules.Before you bring an emotional support animal into your housing unit, you must request reasonable accommodations.