ESA Doctors vs. CertaPet | What’s a Better Option?

When you’re searching for an ESA letter service, two names consistently appear at the top of search results: ESA Doctors and CertaPet. Both companies have built solid reputations in this industry, but which one should you choose when you need housing documentation fast?

Each service promises legitimate ESA letters from licensed professionals, but their approaches, pricing, and customer experiences differ significantly. This detailed ESA Doctors vs. CertaPet comparison cuts through the marketing noise to give you the facts you need based on real user reviews.

By the end, you’ll know exactly which service fits your specific needs or if there’s an even better alternative worth considering.

ESA Doctors Overview & Process

ESA Doctors positions itself as a veteran player in the ESA letter space, claiming to have served over 100k customers in the past ten years. The company’s founder struggled to get legitimate housing documentation for his own emotional support dog, which led him to create a platform that could make the process easier for everyone else.

As a result, the company offers a fast, fully online solution to get an ESA letter, involving three main steps:

1. Initial application: You start by completing an online form and providing your and your animal’s basic information. You can then choose your preferred package and other add-ons, and make the payment
2. Professional evaluation: A licensed mental health professional (LMHP) in your state reviews your information and contacts you to schedule a telehealth appointment
3. Approval and letter delivery: If approved, you get a digitally signed ESA letter within one to three business days that you can present to landlords or housing authorities. The company offers a full refund if the LMHP doesn’t approve the letter

ESA Doctors provides post-purchase support for any housing-related issues that might arise after you receive your letter. The company also sends renewal reminders before your letter expires. ESA Doctors imposes no restrictions on the type of animal you can get an ESA letter for.

CertaPet Overview & Process

CertaPet is another well-known provider of ESA letters, connecting mental health patients with LMHPs across the U.S. and select Canadian provinces. As a company that holds the Gold Star Certificate Award with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), CertaPet emphasizes its commitment to providing legitimate ESA documentation through properly licensed professionals rather than instant certification mills.

CertaPet’s process for obtaining an ESA letter is pretty similar to that of ESA Doctors and follows three main steps:

1. Pre-screening form: You must fill out a brief questionnaire where you select your letter type, provide basic information about yourself and your pet, and answer questions about your mental health symptoms, then proceed to payment if you qualify for their services
2. Appointment scheduling: After submitting your application, a licensed professional contacts you within two business days to schedule your consultation appointment
3. Approval and letter delivery: After approval, you get a digital ESA letter with the option to request a physical copy by mail

The platform currently provides ESA letters for dogs, cats, and rabbits only, so if you’re looking to adopt other animals, you may need to look elsewhere. 

ESA Doctors vs. CertaPet: How Each Service Compares

Choosing an ESA letter provider comes down to more than marketing claims. It’s about whether the service actually delivers in the real world. That’s why, for our CertaPet vs ESADoctors comparison, we’ll examine real user experiences and see how well each platform meets legal requirements for legitimate ESA letters.

We’ve identified seven key areas that matter most when choosing an ESA letter service. These factors come up repeatedly in user reviews and directly impact whether you’ll get the housing protections you need. Here’s what we’ll be comparing:

1. Speed and turnaround time
2. Quality of mental health evaluations
3. Legitimacy & acceptance
4. Additional services offered
5. Refund policy
6. Value for money
7. Customer service

Speed and Turnaround Time

Both ESA Doctors and CertaPet advertise fast turnaround times, but the exact timelines and real-world experiences vary. According to their official websites:

1. ESA Doctors promises letters within one to three business days
2. CertaPet typically delivers within five business days, according to their website

Many users praise the speed of both services. One ESA Doctors customer said they were matched with a local therapist within 24 hours and received their letter the next day. A CertaPet user also reported their therapist was “on time” and they received their letter within the promised period.

However, some users have experienced delays on both platforms. An ESA Doctors customer mentioned waiting up to six days despite paying for expedited service, while one CertaPet user mentioned waiting over a week just to speak with a therapist after completing their assessment.

Interestingly, ESA Doctors offers expedited delivery for an additional fee, while CertaPet has no fast delivery option. If you need an ESA letter urgently, ESA Doctors’ rush service may be worth the extra cost. Regarding speed, ESA Doctors has a slight edge, though CertaPet isn’t far behind.

Quality of Mental Health Evaluations

The Fair Housing Act (FHA) requires legitimate ESA letters to come from an LMHP after a proper mental health evaluation. In this aspect, both services check the right boxes by offering real-time phone consultations.

General user feedback regarding the actual quality of these sessions is positive, except for a few minor complaints. One ESA Doctors customer praised their therapist for being thorough and responsive, while approving their request for two letters in under 24 hours. Similarly, a CertaPet user   by providing them with additional mental health resources beyond the ESA letter itself.

Still, not all experiences are seamless. An ESA Doctors customer complained about unresponsive therapists who ignored follow-up questions regarding legal claims, leaving them frustrated with the lack of support. CertaPet has faced similar criticism, with a few users reporting therapists who didn’t respond for over a month or provided poor service.

While negative experiences exist, they’re outweighed by positive feedback overall. Both services generally deliver reliable evaluations, but occasional inconsistencies mean your experience may depend on the therapist you’re assigned.

Legitimacy & Acceptance

In the end, it doesn’t matter what a company’s sales copy says. You need to know whether your ESA letter will be accepted by landlords and give you the protection you need. Both services claim their letters meet federal and state regulations and include the therapist’s license information for verification. However, actual user experiences differ.

ESA Doctors receives mixed feedback on letter acceptance. Many users report successful outcomes, with one review praising hassle-free approval by their apartment owner. At the same time, some people faced rejection issues:

• One college student reported that their letter wasn’t approved due to “lack of authenticity,” leading to a financial loss
• Another customer mentioned organizations found their letter “insufficient” and “unprofessional”

CertaPet generally fares well in this regard, and complaints regarding rejection were rare, with most users confirming their letters were accepted. Still, several users experienced abrupt denials from therapists themselves. One user noted they were denied without any explanation, adding that they were paired with a therapist in Texas despite living in New York, which raises concerns about the vetting process.

Additional Services Offered

Beyond standard ESA letters for housing, both ESA Doctors and CertaPet provide psychiatric service dog (PSD) letters. But here’s where things get tricky.

PSDs have different legal requirements from ESAs. The former are regulated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and need to be trained to perform a specific disability-related task. ESAs don’t need any training and are only protected under the FHA.

Now, while both companies advertise PSD letters as a way to help your service dog fly with you or access public spaces, the reality is that the ADA doesn’t recognize this letter at all. The only requirement is that the dog needs to be trained for a disability. So, even though it may sound official, a PSD letter doesn’t hold any legal value.

With ESA Doctors, you also get add-ons like extra housing documentation and custom ID cards. Again, neither of these is required because:

1. Landlords can’t legally ask for any paperwork beyond your ESA letter
2. Neither the FHA nor the ADA recognizes ID cards or any licenses (these are only good for visual purposes)

CertaPet keeps it simple without pushing unnecessary extras (besides the PSD letter service). In this regard, CertaPet’s approach is more straightforward and far less confusing.

Refund Policy

Both services have refund policies, but they come with significant restrictions:

These restrictive policies could leave you out of pocket if things don’t go as planned. Even if you cancel quickly, both services charge fees, although CertaPet’s $5 admin fee is more reasonable compared to ESA Doctors’ $39 cut.

But what puts you in a tough spot financially is the lack of refunds against landlord rejections. You’ve paid for a service that should solve your housing problem, but if it doesn’t work out, you’re left with both the bill and the original problem.

Some ESA letter providers recognize this gap and offer more customer-friendly guarantees. Services like Your Service Animal refund 100% of your payment if the professional doesn’t approve your letter or your landlord rejects it.

Value for Money

Let’s break down what you’re actually paying for and whether these services justify their costs. Here’s what each company charges for its documentation:

CertaPet clearly wins in base pricing, whether it’s for new letters or annual renewals. ESA Doctors also charges additional fees for several optional services: $49.50 for rush delivery, $49.95 for extra housing documentation, and $33 for custom ID cards. These add-ons inflate costs without adding legal value.

Still, both services’ strict refund policies mean your investment carries significant risk. If you’re looking for more peace of mind and flexibility with your investment, you might want to explore other options that offer stronger guarantees and customer protection.

Customer Service

Both services handle support differently:

1. CertaPet offers help via phone and email, plus they have a listed physical address
2. ESA Doctors limits contact to email and online forms

The lack of a phone number or a physical address for ESA Doctors can be seen as a downside if you prefer direct, real-time communication.

The actual user experiences suggest that the customer support interaction and dispute resolution can be hit or miss with both services. For example, while some ESA Doctors users praised quick, helpful responses when facing tight deadlines, others were frustrated with unresponsive staff. One customer even said they reached out to the service three times but never received answers.

CertaPet experiences are similarly mixed. One user found customer service quick and helpful in answering questions. Another reviewer said the company sent them the wrong type of letter and told them they’d need to pay again to get the correct documentation.

CertaPet vs ESADoctors: Quick Comparison Table

Here’s a short summary of the key differences between the two services:

ESA Doctors Pros & Cons

Pros

• ✅ Fast turnaround time (with optional expedited delivery)
• ✅ Real mental health consultations
• ✅ Convenient online process

Cons

• ❌ Higher pricing
• ❌ Limited customer support options
• ❌ No physical address listed for the company
• ❌ Pushes unnecessary add-ons that aren’t legally required
• ❌ No refund if your landlord rejects your letter

CertaPet Pros & Cons

Pros

• ✅ Better value for money
• ✅ Consultations handled by real LMHPs
• ✅ Multiple contact options, including phone support

Cons

• ❌ Slower turnaround time (up to 5 business days)
• ❌ Mixed customer service experiences with communication issues
• ❌ $40 consultation fee deducted from refunds
• ❌ No refund if your landlord rejects your letter

Looking for a Reliable ESA Letter Provider? Your Service Animal Is Here To Help

Both ESA Doctors and CertaPet share some concerning patterns that keep popping up in user reviews, particularly regarding:

• Communication issues with therapists
• Unexpected delays despite promised timelines
• Poor refund policies

These aren’t small problems when you’re facing housing deadlines or tight budgets. Luckily, there’s a solution that addresses many of these shortcomings: Your Service Animal.

Your Service Animal takes pride in being run by a supportive team that values customer experience and prioritizes their well-being. The platform ensures you’ll get a 100% legit ESA documentation that’ll hold up to scrutiny, without selling useless ID cards or making misleading claims regarding travel rights.

Your Service Animal offers several unique benefits that eliminate the guesswork and financial risk that come with other services:

Get Your Letter ASAP

With Your Service Animal, you get a legitimate ESA letter without the runaround in only four simple steps:

1. Find out if you’re a good fit for an ESA letter with our online quiz
2. Schedule an online appointment with a licensed mental health practitioner in your state
3. Attend the online call and receive your ESA letter if clinically appropriate
4. Receive a full refund if the therapist doesn’t issue an ESA letter or your landlord rejects your letter