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I didn’t put anything on my application about my ESA dog (Ohio) because of some of the things I read it basically stated I could wait to tell them – that I have a right to see if I get apartment 1st & then tell them. Well that did not work – she said NO – thankfully me & my ex have shared parenting with our dog so she can stay with him – BUT!!! if I complain or file a complaint I risk losing my apartment. I took this apartment because it’s all I could afford.
This info is misleading. Besides the tiny criteria mentioned above…LANDLORDS CANNOT DENY YOU BECAUSE OF YOUR ESA. I mean anyone can do anything, but legally they cannot. Now if you claim to have an ESA and show no proof (which if you have an ESA you will already have the paperwork from your doctor if you did it correctly) then the landlord can evict you because they have no way of verifying that your not just trying to get around a no pet policy. I have an ESA. I was diagnosed with PTSD and it causes me to have horrible social anxiety. The first thing I did was notify my landlord by mail. I included a typed letter (I googled templates and used that), my ESA documentation, and a card to our groomer (she wasn’t our groomer yet at the time). I did this ultimately because we have a great relationship with our landlord and have always been good tenants and pay our rent early everything month and have been here for a few years…that’s why I suggest letting them know first. Then get your ESA. I have a domestic long haired cat and so I her butt to the groomers lol. Your landlord is worried about damages. They aren’t worried about you having a esa. They are worried about your esa tearing the dwelling up. There is such a stigma with ESAs because people abuse it just like every other thing that might be helpful to someone who actually needs it. So always have proof. Always. If after all that, they still deny you then you can report them and even take legal action.
Yes have ESA dog small one spayed register got all her shots, register state we live in still with out or dog, landlord gave us just enough time to say I see it , my ESA dog you are OUT. Other pets. On residents with out no sign of any of shots registration , But we have all that is required and still no .They close a blind eye on other pets not right surely not fair !?
I was denied by the HOA in my move in day. Ended up stranded with a rental truck full of all my belongings. I told them I have paperwork signed by a healthcare professionals and they did ended up hanging up on me and telling me that they will send me my denial package soon.
Some people don’t like dogs and they choose to live in a rental community with a no pets policy. I have mental illness – my ADHD makes me freak out over loud sounds like dogs barking – it may not bother most people, but there are people who will go to bed crying each night after hearing barking dogs all day. Nobody cares about us, though. I guess I should get an emotional support tarantula so the government will protect me? I am not being negative towards people with mental illness or disabilities because I get it, I know what it is like, but while the dog may help you, it makes other people worse. My anxiety has been through the roof all day since someone moved in with 3 emotional support dogs that barked non-stop all day long. I had to leave my apartment because I was going to lose it. I am so upset because this is one of the ONLY apartment communities that doesn’t allow dogs, but now someone decided they don’t care, they are going to rent here anyway with their 3 dogs. I can’t contact HUD because they only protect or care about mental illness if it involves a dog. I guess if you have an emotional support dog, it trumps everyone else’s mental illness that is worsened by barking dogs.
Emotional support animals have to follow the same rules as “pets” in that the owner has to control their animals. An emotional support animal doesn’t get a pass to bark 24/7, poop outside in unspecified areas or destroy the apartment. I have PTSD and the same issues you have. I love dogs, but loud noises will have me in a fetal position. My upstairs neighbor has an emotional support dog that is quiet, but she lets him potty in the courtyard (lease violation), doesn’t keep him on a leash, doesn’t have him vaccinated or neutered. My landlord is a bitch. I hate her. I started feeding outdoor cats during the pandemic and with the help of various rescue groups we got them all fixed, vaccinated and I treat them monthly for parasites. Yet, my landlord harasses me constantly about 4 outdoor cats while ignoring the “emotional support pit bull ” upstairs. So, yeah, I feel your pain. I just got an emotional support animal letter from my doctor and am going to inform my landlady that I now have emotional support cats. So, she can kiss my big, fat butt! Lol!
I suggest you seek treatment for your mental illness then. It sounds like you are going untreated and complaining about people who are trying to work through trauma using whatever means afforded to them. I was a victim of sex trafficking as a child. Does that mean I can’t have my ESA in my apartment cause you are scared of dogs barking Karen? You could complain to me all day and I wouldn’t feel a shred of pity for you besides the fact that you’re so selfish that you sit here and exaggerate to make people feel bad. You have no clue what your neighbors trauma is. Maybe they watched their dad murdered and their mom raped and you’re over whining about barking. Just stop Karen.
Isn’t it kind of “inconsiderate” for someone with an emotional support animal (dog) to insist on renting in an apartment complex with a “No Dog” policy? There are people like me who specifically chose to live here because they do not want to live near dogs. I have ADHD and that causes me to be hypersensitive to noises (such as barking dogs) and it causes me great anxiety. This is the reason I sought out an apartment in a Dog-Free Community. But, someone just moved in with 3 barking dogs and I was told, “It is okay, they are emotional support animals.” Well, it is not okay for me because barking dogs make me very upset. There are hundreds of people renting here who don’t have dogs and probably don’t want to own or live near dogs, but we have no rights. The law protects people with depression and allows them to force a landlord to rent to them and their disruptive animal….but the law doesn’t care about the other people living there who may have ADHD or a fear of dogs or just don’t like dogs. It may sound petty or stupid to some people, but the sound of barking dogs all day makes me want to jump out of my skin. Some people have the ability to “tune it out” but there are people like me who cannot do that. These ESAs are making it worse for people who suffer from anxiety or ADHD while making it “better” for the person with depression. What is the hierarchy of mental illnesses that the laws take into consideration? I have mental illness, but I go to therapy and take medication, I don’t force people to let me bring an inconvenient animal into the neighborhood. I don’t mean to sound rude, but I feel it is rude for someone with an animal to choose to rent in one of the few communities with a no dog policy (MOST apartments in Columbus, Ohio do allow dogs so it was hard to find one with a No Dog Policy.)
In that case of 3 dogs barking all the time it is very inconsiderate. I have an ESA in training right now but I live in my own home but will be renting soon . I will look for places that allow dogs and will have mine put through extensive training before I sell my house.
Even with doctors’ letters regarding my need for a Service Dog (& mine is trained Tibetan Spaniel, 10#s, pad trained, rarely barks unless emergency, most well-behaved dog at my current apt complex (w/over 100 dogs here) states my Res. Mgr & Asst. Mgr, I continually get turned down for new rental. 3 in a row, w/ 2nd person claiming that tenant after me had better credit (I checked mine w/ 2 of 3 credit agencies & it was very good. Last landlord actually said I could not have my service dog as parts of apt had carpeting & 1 family member had allergies! I even offered to replace carpeting (in writing) when parents retired from Tahiti in distant future & moved back. They replied no again re the dog. What can I do??? Sincerely, Jan Allen
Report them to the HUD. If you have provided proof of a service dog and they are rejecting you then you need to report them to HUD. Because they legally can’t do that. I kinda get the allergies thing but to be honest just like people lie about their ESAs, I feel like landlords lie as well. Just make sure you have proof of everything. Service animals have to have training so prove that and the dogs shots etc.
I rent out a room in my home. I allowed the tenant to bring her dog without a pet deposit or a monthly fee. She has become a very difficult tenant and I pointed out that I have been very accommodating with her dog. I even take it outside multiple times a day when she isn’t home. I told her if we can’t come to an agreement on cleanliness and just common courtesy I was going to charge her a monthly pet fee at contract renewal. She says I am not allowed to charge her for her ESA. This is my home and all I am asking is for her to be a decent roommate.
I recently received an ESA letter from my therapist and presented it to my parents “manager” from the apartments we live in since the other tenants and I do not have any contact with the landlord. When I presented my ESA letter to the “manager” he immediately said “no, no pets are allowed that’s what was signed in your contract” and refused to listen to anything I had to say. I then told him to at least to forward my ESA letter to the person above him, in this case the land lord, and to please get back to me. He then went on to say ok. I presented this Tuesday morning of 01.19. 2021 and he still hasn’t gotten back to me. I currently have my ESA with me but I am concerned the “manager” won’t deliver my ESA letter to the landlord and will try to evict my parents and I for “other reasons” that are probably indirectly blaming my ESA.
I recently received an ESA letter from my therapist and presented this form to the “manager” of my apartment since the other tenants and I do not have any contact with the landlords. When I presented my ESA letter to the “manager” he immediately said “no, no pets are allowed that’s what was signed in your contract” and refused to listen to anything I had to say. I then told him to at least take and give my ESA letter to the person above him, in this case the land lord, and to please get back to me. He then went on to say ok. I presented this to him on 01.19.2020 Tuesday morning and he still hasn’t gotten back to me. I currently have my ESA with me but I am concerned that the “manager” won’t deliver my ESA letter to the landlord and will try to get me in trouble by claiming I never told him about my ESA. Please I am in need of help since this is all so new to me. Will I get in any trouble if he never forwarded my ESA letter to the landlord? Also, will they try to find reasons to try to kick me out or raise my rent by indirectly blaming my ESA by using “different reasons”?
My ESA will not hurt a fly and is nothing but a big sweet heart and behaves extremely well. I cannot lose her and risk a decline in mental health or have to worry about finding another place to stay when everything in California is expensive as it is.
If a landlord ask you to get rid of your service dog, how long do you have to file a complaint against them. My mother had a service animal, and the landlord told myself if we wanted the apt we had to get rid of him. What can I do cause the landlord during Covid period asked us to find another place. We have paid our rent on time every month, and I need to know what can a renter do
I believe I read somewhere that you have up to a year from the day the issue happened.
Sorry to hear about the trouble. Make sure to get the landlord’s rejection in writing and file a complaint with HUD as soon as possible. Unless there are very specific conditions for the landlord to reject the service dog (like the dog is misbehaving or endangering other tenants) they are not allowed to ask such a thing. You may find this article on if landlords can deny service dogs interesting https://www.servicedogcertifications.org/landlords-service-dog/
I have a potential landlord demanding to know what disability i have and exactly what services my dog performs, I know that he is not allowed to ask these questions, but what can I do about it?
If a landlord is violating your Fair Housing rights as a service dog owner, you can consider filing a complaint with HUD. You may find this article on if a landlord can deny a service dog interesting https://www.servicedogcertifications.org/landlords-service-dog/ Hope you and your service dog can find a welcoming place to stay.