You could be keeping your animal with you just as a normal pet, but that stops you from availing the privileges of an ESA Letter owner. The only way to ensure the legal accommodation of your emotional support animal is a valid ESA letter for housing. 

We have further described how you can get and use this letter. This article also describes the process of requesting an ESA from your landlord and your rights in this regard.

Ways to Get an ESA letter

You can get an authorized ESA letter from the following two sources:

• Online service

Multiple online services offer ESA letters. You will be filling in a questionnaire about your illness, due to which you require an ESA. Their medical professional will examine your symptoms and issue you an ESA letter.  

• Therapist

You can also visit a clinic or hospital nearby to see a therapist. The therapist can also issue an ESA letter to certify your need for such animals. 

If you want to keep an animal as an ESA in your house, you will have to acquire permission from your landlord. Follow the steps given below to make a legal ESA request. 

• Inform the Landlord Verbally or In-writing

Before or shortly after buying an emotional support animal, you will have to notify your landlord. The details of the animals also have to be mentioned. You can simply call or text them. You can also send them a written request in the form of a notice. 

• Get an ESA Letter

Your landlord will most likely require you to prove your need for the animal. This can be resolved through an ESA letter. An ESA letter authorized by a medical health professional qualifies you as an ESA owner and tells your necessity to have them along at all times. You can get an ESA letter through either of the ways mentioned above. 

• Send the Letter to the Landlord

It takes a couple of days to acquire an ESA letter. Once you have received your ESA letter, you should send it to your landlord as soon as possible. If your landlord hasn't yet accepted your request, an ESA letter may help you pacify your landlord. However, if they have already accepted your request, you still need to give them an ESA letter for validation. 

• Contact HUD- If Required

Landlords can not deny your request for an emotional support animal until it is impossible to accommodate your request. However, if your landlord still doesn't accept your request or asks for unnecessary additional documents, you can contact the US Department for Housing and Development. They will provide you the adequate support to get you qualified as an ESA owner. 

It is obligatory for landlords all over America to abide by the following rules:

1. Do not take any additional charges from their tenants to allow emotional support animals. 
2. They can not show any racial, genderwise, agewise, etc., discriminations towards their tenants.   
3. Discrimination among animals based on their appearance, breeds, sizes, etc., are also not allowed. 
4. The landlord can not require any additional training of the emotional support animals. 
5. The ESAs don't need to wear badges, vests, or other accessories that label them.  

Basis of Rejecting ESA Request  

The landlord can not deny your ESA request in any condition, with exception to the following:

1. The animal has caused significant damage to the personal or public property at the location. 
2. The animals have caused injuries or harmed the people living within the premises. 

To zip it up, if you want to qualify as an ESA owner, you need to get an ESA letter. By following the mentioned procedure of the emotional support dog letter request, you can legally live with your emotional support animal without any hindrance. 

Useful Resources:

Airlines that are Accepting Emotional Support Animal - 2021 Guide

Best Nail Clippers and Trimmers in 2021 Guide

How To Release Your Stress Through An ESA? - 2021 Guide

Common Uses of Benadryl for Dogs - 2021 Guide

Best ESAs That Help You Get Out Of Depression - 2021 Guide