Sample letter for emotional support animal for housing

Contents

• 1 Emotional Support Animal Letter Template
  • • 1.0.1 Letter of Approval – Used to Get an ESA
    • 1.0.2 The Housing Letter – Proof of Live-In Animal
    • 1.0.3 The Airplane Travel Letter – Flight Acceptance
    • 1.0.4 Emotional
    • 1.0.5 Dogs
    • 1.0.6 Companions
    • 1.0.7 Services
    • 1.0.8 Support
    • 1.0.9 Animal
    • 1.0.10 Dog
    • 1.0.11 Cat

Emotional Support Animal Letter Template

An 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]
To Whom It May Concern:
I have been taking care of [Patients Full Name] since [Date] and have become very familiar with their emotional disability. I am aware of the functional limitations that they face as a result of it can how their otherwise considered normal and significant day to day actions have been affected.
As a result, I am prescribing them an emotional support animal to help alleviate the symptoms of their condition. The companionship of this animal can result in the symptoms improving greatly and improving [Patients Full Name] overall health and quality of life.
Sincerely,
[Professionals Name and Title]

The Housing Letter – Proof of Live-In Animal

[Date]
To Whom It May Concern:
[Full Name of Patient] is my patient and they have been in my care since [Date]. I am extremely familiar with their condition, and they have a recognized emotional disability under The Fair Housing Act. Due to this disability, [Patient Name] experiences symptoms which can inhibit their normal and significant day to day activities.
As a result, I have prescribed them an emotional support animal. The presence of this animal is necessary for [Patients Name] and the improvement of the symptoms of their condition. The animal accompanying them in the property is also necessary for [Patient Name] to improve their quality of life and ability to live independently.
Sincerely,
[Professionals Name and Title]

The Airplane Travel Letter – Flight Acceptance

[Date]
To Whom It May Concern:
[Full Name of Patient] is under my care and has been my patient since [Date]. I am intimately familiar with their emotional disability and am well aware of the functional limitations they face as a result. They can struggle with things which are otherwise to be considered normal and of significance with day to day tasks,
As a result of this condition, I have prescribed them an emotional support animal.
This animal is necessary for [Patients Name] health and will help mitigate the symptoms of their condition while they are flying. The presence of this animal is very important and I recommend that it accompanies [Patient Name] in the cabin on the aircraft for the duration of the flight.
Sincerely,
[Professionals Name and Title]

The Online Dogtor

Emotional

Dogs

Companions

Services

Support

Animal

Dog

Cat

According 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.

Dear [Landlord’s Name],

In accordance with the Fair Housing Act, I am writing to request reasonable accommodation for my support animal, which will reside with me within my rental at [Rental Address].

I have a disability and, as such, require full-time assistance from this animal. I have attached a letter from my healthcare provider confirming my need for this form of assistance.

The animal in question is [include a brief description of your ESA].

If you wish to discuss this matter in more detail, you can reach me by phone at XXX-XXX-XXXX or email at [your email address].

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

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?

Who can write a letter to authorize an emotional support animal?

Do landlords have to accept emotional support animals?

Can you write your own ESA letter?