ESA Pet Registry
  1. Home
  2. Housing

Housing rights

Emotional support animals and housing

A plain-language summary of the Fair Housing Act and HUD's guidance, and what an ESA housing letter is. This is general information, not legal advice.

What the Fair Housing Act asks of housing providers

The Fair Housing Act requires housing providers to consider reasonable-accommodation requests for assistance animals, including emotional support animals. A provider has to consider the request. How the provider answers depends on the facts and on the law, and we cannot predict it.

What HUD's guidance describes

HUD issued guidance in January 2020, notice FHEO-2020-01. It describes what documentation a housing provider may ask for when someone requests an assistance animal. Landlords may ask for documentation in the way that guidance describes. Read the notice itself, or ask an attorney, if you have a specific dispute.

A man at an open apartment door with keys in hand and a terrier on a leash

What our housing letter is

The ESA Housing Letter is the housing product. You complete a questionnaire, and a therapist licensed for your state holds a consultation with you. A licensed professional decides whether you qualify. If you do, you receive a signed letter on the provider's letterhead as a digital download.

Each package also lists automatic activation of your registration on the National ESA Directory (ESAC). Registering an animal does not by itself make it an emotional support animal.

The Basic housing package is $109 and the Premium housing package is $200. The ESA Housing & Travel Package includes both a housing letter and a travel letter.

What we cannot promise

  • We cannot guarantee that a landlord will accept a letter. Housing providers make their own decisions under the law.
  • An ESA letter does not give an emotional support animal the rights of a guide, signal or service dog. That is the California AB 468 disclaimer in our terms.
  • We do not give legal or medical advice.

If a landlord refuses our letter

If you were denied entry to housing because of our letter, you are refunded 100% of the fees under the refund policy. Email [email protected] with the address, phone number and employee name of the business that refused you, plus the handler name and the pet registration number.

Questions about your own situation? Live Support can explain how our process works. It cannot give legal advice.

Need a housing letter?

A licensed professional decides whether you qualify.