Emotional Support Dog Laws California Landlord

Living with an emotional support dog or cat a guide to dealing with difficult landlords.

Emotional support dog laws california landlord.

As a result the laws protecting service dogs do not similarly cover emotional support animals. In california tenants have the right to bring their service dogs and emotional support animals to live with them in many circumstances. We will address commonly asked questions and provide tips on how to inform your landlord you have an esa. And certapet is here to help.

You re in the right place. If the animal causes damage or becomes a threat to other tenants in the building. In addition federal law allows people with disabilities to bring their emotional support animal onto an airplane. Questions a landlord has the right to ask a tenant that needs an emotional support animal.

However the law does not consider emotional support animals to be the same as service dogs for disabled persons. As a landlord you have the right to ask your tenant the following questions about their emotional support animal. A public place includes libraries hotels shops restaurants theatres and hospitals. Emotional support animals are different from service animals which are governed by additional laws and defined under the americans with disabilities act as a dog.

Landlords and other housing providers in california may not refuse to make reasonable accommodations in their rules or policies if such accommodations are necessary to afford a person with a disability the equal opportunity to use and enjoy a house or. To learn more see nolo s articles on when california landlords have to allow psychiatric service dogs and emotional support animals and how california protects psychiatric service dogs and emotional support animals in the workplace. The use of emotional support animals is emerging as a popular way for coping with mental and emotional conditions such as stress anxiety and depression. Remember how you ask is important as well.

The laws in california allow a person with a disability to bring a trained service dog or psychiatric service dog to all public places but not emotional support animals. If making accommodations for the emotional support animal places an undue financial hardship on the landlord. Attorney katie holt writes. This is the case.

For the emotional support animal to be legal tenants need documentation from a licenced medical professional stating that the animal is being used to manage a health condition. As a landlord you must offer reasonable accommodation to renters with emotional support animals or someone who develops a need for one while they are your tenant. If the tenant does not meet the qualifying standards the landlord has for all tenants such as having an income that is two and a half times the monthly rent. But it is under fair housing laws.

It s likely that you re here because a tenant or future tenant handed you an emotional support animal letter from their therapist and you re interested in finding out what your rights are as a landlord.