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Emotional Support Animal Letter TemplateAn emotional support animal letter template can give you an idea on how these types of letters should look. This can be particularly useful if you are a landlord, property manager, airline staff, or even a mental health professional. Knowing which laws are on your side and how these types of letters are supposed to look is important for people in these professions because they will have to deal with them at some point. It can help them to verify if a document is authentic or help someone to craft their own letter to give out to their patients. There are three different letters which can be issued and they must all come from a registered mental health professional. These documents are for the initial approval for getting an ESA, once the animal has been acquired and properly registered you can get another letter that is for rental properties, and the other is for boarding aircraft’s. Let’s take a look at them and how you may find them to look. Letter of Approval – Used to Get an ESA[Date] The Housing Letter – Proof of Live-In Animal[Date] The Airplane Travel Letter – Flight Acceptance[Date] The Online Dogtor EmotionalDogsCompanionsServicesSupportAnimalDogCatAccording to the Fair Housing Act, if you have an emotional support animal, your landlord is legally obligated to accommodate said animal (within reason), even if your building isn’t otherwise pet-friendly. As with any request made to your landlord, it is best to put it in writing. A written request creates a paper trail, making it easy to keep track of your correspondence on the matter. If any problems should arise, you can reference the hard copies of the letters sent. The letter doesn’t need to be very long; it should simply state that you are requesting accommodation for your support animal. You should attach documentation for your emotional support animal to the letter so your landlord can tell that it’s a legitimate support animal. Emotional support animals are not recognized by the FHA unless accompanied by a letter from a licensed healthcare professional, so secure this document before you write your own letter. You may wish to include a brief description of the animal, as this could help your landlord determine whether it poses any risks or challenges for other residents of the housing complex. Below, we’ve included a template that you can use to craft an emotional support animal letter to your landlord.
Customize the template above to fit your needs. If you feel that your landlord may be uninformed on the laws related to support animals, you can go ahead and quote sections of the Fair Housing Act to remind him of your rights. There are no laws regarding when you must disclose your emotional support animal (ESA) to your landlord. You can opt to inform your landlord of the emotional support animal before signing the lease or wait until after the lease is signed if you are concerned about discrimination. You can send your letter via email, regular mail, or even deliver it by hand. Once your landlord receives the letter, he has ten days to respond to your request. Don’t hesitate to follow up with him before the ten days are up. Always keep copies of any correspondence related to the matter, just in case issues arise. How do I write an ESA letter for housing?For your ESA Letter to be official, it must be written about you specifically and include your name, diagnosis details, and a recommendation for an ESA to help treat your mental or emotional disability. It needs to be written and signed by a mental health professional who is licensed to practice in your state.
Who can write a letter to authorize an emotional support animal?An ESA letter must be written for you specifically and include your diagnosis and a recommendation for an emotional support animal. Any licensed mental health professional (LMHP) can write one, but they must evaluate your condition in a “live” environment: an in-person consultation or telehealth appointment.
Do landlords have to accept emotional support animals?Emotional Support Animals Don't Count as Pets
Whether a person has a dog, cat or another kind of animal, if they've received a verified letter from a medical professional, landlords must make changes to accommodate them on the property.
Can you write your own ESA letter?There's no wrong in printing out an ESA sample letter and taking/showing it to your licensed mental health professional to get a better idea of what it could look like. But it is up to your LMHP to write their own with the specific and proper information for you to have an emotional support animal.
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