How To Present Your Landlord With an Emotional Support Animal Letter (Without the Stress)

Emotional support animals (ESAs) are more than pets—they help their owners cope with mental health issues and provide comfort. As such, they’re protected under the law, and landlords and housing providers must accommodate them irrespective of their pet policies.

However, not all landlords are quick to roll out the welcome mat for your animal friend. Whether it’s due to misunderstandings, concerns about property damage, or just a lack of familiarity with ESAs, some landlords might hesitate to accept your ESA or even push back.

Giving your landlord an emotional support animal letter should, in most cases, resolve any issues. To help you understand your rights and next steps, we’ve put together this guide to cover topics such as:

• How to tell your landlord about your ESA
• How to ensure your emotional support animal letter to your landlord is legitimate
• What to do if the landlord denies your request 

How To Tell Your Landlord You Have an ESA

Approaching your landlord about your ESA can feel a little nerve-wracking, especially if you live in a “no pets” property. Many tenants worry about potential rejection or awkward conversations when bringing up this topic when, in reality, there’s little to stress about.

That’s because the Fair Housing Act (FHA) gives you the right to live with your fluffy pals anywhere. It ensures that people with disabilities can’t face discrimination in housing, including restrictions based on their need for an ESA.

When it’s time for a conversation with your landlord, keep it simple and professional. Schedule a private meeting or send an email explaining your ESA requirements. The latter option might be a smarter choice, as it creates a digital paper trail, which might be important if any disputes arise later.

The key in this situation is having the proper documentation ready. You’ll need an ESA letter issued by a licensed mental health professional (LMHP) that confirms your need for an ESA. Most landlords are willing to accommodate genuine ESA requests backed by a professional ESA letter because of the strict FHA guidelines.

What Are Your Rights Under the Fair Housing Act?

Under the FHA, the landlord must provide “reasonable accommodations” for your ESA as long as you have a legitimate ESA letter. Here’s what that means:

1. No pet fees—Landlords can’t charge you pet rent, deposits, or other fees for your ESA. (Yes, that means more money for treats and toys!)
2. No breed or size restrictions—Your ESA can be a Great Dane or a tiny turtle; size and breed don’t matter
3. Equal access to housing—Landlords must allow your ESA in most housing, even if they have a strict ‘no-pets’ policy

While the FHA provides you with these rights, it also gives landlords some leeway to check your ESA’s legitimacy. For example, they can verify that the letter is from an actual LMHP through their credentials. However, landlords can’t ask for extensive medical records or details about your diagnosis or require you to fill out specific forms for your ESA.

If your landlord requests additional documentation—including fancy certificates, special training documents, or ESA registration papers—politely remind them that these aren’t legally binding and an official ESA letter is the only thing you need to show them.

How To Ensure Your ESA Letter to Your Landlord Is Valid

To be considered valid, your ESA letter for the landlord must be written by an LMHP—such as a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist—who has compared your symptoms to conditions outlined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). This is the authoritative reference for mental health professionals all over the U.S.

Additionally, the letter should include:

• The LMHP’s National Provider License Number, state license number, and contact info
• A statement confirming your need for an ESA based on a qualifying condition (no need for specifics)
• An optional summary of how your ESA helps with your symptoms (e.g., reducing anxiety or providing emotional stability)
• A signature, date, and professional letterhead

When Can a Landlord Legally Reject Your ESA Request?

Let’s start with the obvious—if your ESA letter isn’t legitimate or doesn’t include all the required information mentioned above, your landlord can comfortably deny your request.

But beyond paperwork problems, there are a few other situations where a landlord can legally say “not this time” to your furry friend, and these are:

• The property isn’t covered by the FHA—Some properties aren’t required to follow FHA rules. These include owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units, single-family homes rented without an agent, and housing operated by religious organizations
• Your ESA poses a direct threat—If your ESA has a history of aggression (like biting, scratching, or charging at people), the landlord may reject it. However, they need actual evidence of dangerous behavior to justify the rejection. So, if your pit bull is a certified snuggle bug, they can’t deny your request just because it “looks scary”
• Undue financial or administrative burden—If accommodating your ESA would require costly modifications or violate local zoning laws, the landlord might have grounds to say no. Technically, this is a legal gray area because it’s tricky for landlords to prove that an animal creates an undue burden

Basically, landlords can only deny your ESA if it requires them to make “unreasonable” accommodations. So, unless your ESA is a literal elephant (which, let’s be honest, would be amazing but probably not practical), you don’t have to worry about rejection. In fact, the FHA is generally upheld even for more unusual ESAs, like emotional support chickens.

What To Do if Your Landlord Denies a Valid ESA Request

Some landlords might reject your ESA request even if you have all the paperwork in place, whether because they’re looking for an excuse to enforce their pet policies or because they’re not familiar with ESA laws and their legal obligations.

If this happens, the two things you should do are:

1. File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which enforces the FHA and can investigate your case 
2. Reach out to local tenant rights organizations or consult a lawyer specializing in housing or disability rights

Throughout the process, document every interaction with your landlord (whether through emails, letters, or phone calls). This paper trail will be your best friend if things get legal.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to deal with all the back-and-forth, services like Your Service Animal can guide you through the process, assist with filing the proper documentation, and even follow up on your case.

Landlords who wrongfully deny legitimate ESA requests can face serious consequences. They can be subject to discrimination lawsuits and hefty fines of up to $16,000 for a first violation and $70,000 for a third violation. Discrimination claims can also damage their business reputation and leave permanent marks on their record.

Why Landlords Are Wary of ESAs—The Impact of Fake ESA Letters

Let’s address the elephant in the room—many landlords have become increasingly skeptical of ESA letters, and there’s a good reason for their caution. Emotional support animals are becoming increasingly popular, which has unfortunately led to a rise in online scams and fraudulent websites selling fake ESA letters.

If you’re looking for an ESA letter provider online, you might encounter sites offering “instant approval” or “certified ESA letters” at a shockingly low price (or even for free). These sites often churn out auto-generated letters without any real evaluation by an LMHP—no video call, no consultation, just a credit card number and a few clicks.

The truth is these documents are illegitimate, and they’re a big reason why ESAs have gotten a bit of a bad rap among some landlords. So, even if you have an actual mental health condition and all the valid documentation supporting your need for an ESA, you might face extra scrutiny and skepticism because of the bad apples abusing the system.

The good news? You can avoid all these hassles and restore the trust that online scams have eroded by getting a legitimate ESA letter from the get-go.

How To Ensure You’re Getting a Legitimate ESA Letter Landlords Can’t Refuse

Getting an ESA letter isn’t as simple as filling out an online form or paying for instant certification. To ensure your ESA letter to the landlord for your emotional support animal is compliant and legally binding, pay attention to the following criteria:

If your ESA letter checks all these boxes, landlords won’t have a leg to stand on if they try rejecting your request. However, finding a platform where you can get a letter that meets all these requirements can be rough—but that’s where Your Service Animal comes in.

Get an Official ESA Letter for Your Landlord With Your Service Animal

Your Service Animal connects you with a licensed mental health professional in your state who can evaluate your needs and provide a valid ESA letter quickly and conveniently.

The best part? The entire process is online, so you can handle everything from the comfort of your couch—no office visits, no paperwork, no stress. Plus, the service ensures full compliance with housing laws, so you can trust that your documentation is legit and ready to go.

Here’s why you should choose Your Service Animal for your ESA letter:

Get an ESA Letter ASAP

Getting an ESA letter with Your Service Animal takes a few 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

Just like that, you can present your emotional support animal letter to your landlord or estate agent and enjoy the permanent company of your furry family member.