Understanding Emotional Support Animals (ESA) a Guide for Landlords

Understanding Emotional Support Animals (ESA) is important for landlords and property managers to avoid legal trouble when leasing properties. Emotional Support Animals provide emotional, cognitive, or similar support to a person with a disability, but they are not considered pets. As such, property policies do not apply to them, and landlords must make reasonable accommodations for them, including service animals that have been professionally trained. Denying such accommodations could lead to legal action from the tenant, as per the U.S. Fair Housing Act, which forbids discrimination against protected classes, including individuals with disabilities. While landlords can ask for documentation to verify the need for an ESA, it does not necessarily have to come from a medical professional, and the disability need not be apparent. Landlords should not judge tenants' conditions or the need for an ESA, as it can lead to legal trouble. To deny a request for an ESA, a landlord must prove that the request is an undue burden on the property or that the tenant does not qualify as a person with a disability under the Fair Housing Act.
00:00 Introduction
00:25 Emotional Support Animan (ESA)
01:00 Definition of Key Terms
03:49 Reasonable Accomodation
04:18 Verify if an Animal is ESA
05:47 Conditions that a landlord can claim to deny a request for an ESA
06:57 Key things to consider
08:38 Conclusion