I don't think doctors will not write a letter. It's the same as handicap placards on a car. You just have to ask the doc for an Rx for it and wolla! They are afraid of getting sued (can't blame them).

IMO, the tenants use the ESA for one of 2 reasons. They don't want to pay pet fees/deposits or they want Fido in a place that won't allow pets. I started allowing pets with a nominal pet rent and it's helped. I would agree with annual renewal though. If they're trying to get out of fees, annual renewal would help. They may not be paying the LL, but they'll have to pay the doc! Maybe they'll realize the fees are the same, or even higher with the doc and will just pay the LL.

JKJ they are trying in Florida. It's now a misdemeanor to misrepresent a pet as a service animal here. But the law is hard to enforce. Also someone has a bill here to ban exotic pets as ESAs.

If you follow the rules you find that only a fraction have a legit free animal, plenty of reading here to describe what documents you need for the anti-pet claims. In the heat of screening the landlord may be overwhelmed with tenant jargon and the validity of the claims is overlooked, then after the lease is on the table the tenant having control the support animal is mentioned and the paperwork keeps moving forward, Whoa - stop and get back in control, need the animal paperwork before anything further happens..

Everywhere photo vet records should be requested proving that vaccines for your city/county are up to date, to reduce puppy mills operating in your p!ace having -fixed- animals is not an unreasonable request. In the vet records you will likely find the breed and it any special circumstances this animal is involved in such as therapy or otherwise.

The bigger issue is how much this stuff is pushed on college campuses. Normalizing nonsense.

Skim your local news and you'll see it quite often in different areas. These kids can't get by without Fido around.

At the very least, the law should be written that the mental health care provider has to be local and the tenant has to be a regular patient. That should stop the online nonsense.

The best option is to do away with the concept of emotional support animal. If a person really can't live uncuddled due to a mental health issue, then let them get a trained service animal that has actual trained responses to help head off mental crisis.

"The best option is to do away with the concept of emotional support animal. If a person really can't live uncuddled due to a mental health issue, then let them get a trained service animal that has actual trained responses to help head off mental crisis."

Agree. Or let them do what everyone else does. Live in a pet friendly rental and pay fees. And if they can't afford that how do they have money to provide for the dog's many other needs?

"Its an issue. See dogs at Lowe's quite regularly."

"Its an issue. See dogs at Lowe's quite regularly."

Yea, I have a suggestion. The entire ESA thing needs to be completely abolished.

Study the rules and you will find that the doctor has to be in state, the medical practice number in the letterhead (Oregon woodsmoke) and like every prescription it must be renewed annually - 12 months (JKJ), my first question to JKJ is for a copy of photo vet records, then we proceed to remind them animal damages will be added to the next rent cycle and animal cleanup is the same - sometimes they think they are exempt from animal responsibility but it just not so.

Vee: Unless that is some local/Ohio law, that is not correct. The federal law does not require that the "doctor" be "in state" (not does it even require that they are a doctor actually).

It also does not require annual renewals. It looks like you can try to require this -- but it is not part of any law or "rules" as you suggested.

Also, I've mentioned this before, but the law also does not allow for "photo vet records" that you always mention unless that is also a state/local law and/or required of ALL animals by code or ordinance. In other words, if someone claims and ESA and has the proper documentation from some healthcare professional, then you cannot deny them just because they don't have vet records for their animal -- except, again, for any vaccinations or registrations required by law/ordinance of ALL animals in that area.

- John...

plenty: the Lowes problem is different -- in THAT case, there are NOT required by any federal law to allow the animal. We need private businesses like Lowes to just flat out tell people "no" to ESAs more often. Especially when the animal is being a problem. They are not at all required to let them in.

- John...

It seems like they are letting anyone into the hardware stores with dogs now. I don't see service vests on a lot of the dogs so people aren't even going through the motions to pretend anymore.

Personally I don't think the animals belong there. There are already enough customers blocking the aisles, or trying to carry gigantic objects around in their hands instead of getting a flatbed cart and almost hitting other people. I try to go there at night because there are less customers in the store at that time.

I requested a "letter" from my tenants who claimed their new puppy was a Companion Animal. They provided me with a letter from a doctor who works at UCLA (University of Southern California Los Angeles).

This doctor has a web page that simply says, "for a fee she would provide anyone with a doctors letter so they can have a pet".

She has around 760 patients but wrote over 2000 letters in the first six months of setting up this web page. She never meets with the patient of the dog. Just a letter mill.

But your main complaint seemed to be about those stores and such. We don't need a new law there because they already aren't allowed to bring those animals in unless the store allows it. ESAs have no rights in a Lowes or IKEA or Walmart. What we should be doing is writing letters to those places telling them that we're sick of it and they need to stop allowing them.

I'm all for stopping fake ESAs, but I don't need MORE government laws telling private people (including store owners) what they can and can't do. If Lowes wants to allow ESAs in the store, they have every right to do that. I don't want a federal law saying that they can't, of course. So, the real answer is complaining to those private entities to tell them to change how they handle them.

I absolutely would support a federal law making it a crime to fake a Service Animal though. THOSE animals do have rights in those stores -- so anyone with an animal with a "SERVICE Animal" vest should be charged with faking one if they aren't in need of that animal.

But, again, that's pretty rare these days. Most people just call their animal an ESA and do whatever -- and the stores do nothing about it. That's a STORE problem, not something that we need even more laws for.

- John...

" leases are not renewed due to owner wanting possession for relatives"

As bet says, this is where the in-home visit can be very useful. ESA are certainly allowed, but DESTRUCTIVE, STINKY, etc ESAs create legit reasons for us to deny.

For example, if the applicant has allowed their ESA to damage their current home or if it's pooping, peeing, etc and the applicant hasn't been cleaning up after it...DENIED for sloppy housekeeping and/or allowing damages to the current land lord's property. Just one more reason why the 2-minute in home visit has become a vital part of my screening steps.

David: It means that he lies and says that he is not renewing their lease because they want to use the rental for a family member.

I always find it funny when landlords are big on "I auto-reject for ANY false information on their application!!" but then have no problem lying to tenants when it is convenient for themselves.

"Do as I say, not as I do", I guess.

- John...

I agree this needs to stop and things need to be done. As soon as this does ever get resolved(if it does) there will just be another problem pop up to deal with.

Plenty, thanks for the tip.

CJ, that is another good point. Why are these websites even legal.

JKJ, When I looked up your registry this is part of what came up. "Did you know that many Service and Assistance Dogs perform tasks or work for individuals with disabilites which may or may not be apparent to you? Please don't ask about anyone's disability - it's against the law. The U.S. Department of Justice and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) allows for Service Animal owners to be taken at their word. You are permited to ask up to two questions - only if it isn't obvious that the animal is a Service Animal. Under federal law you may not demand proof of someones disability or Service Dog training, certification or registration."

John, that's funny

Just found a sample letter supplied by HUD. Google - Sample letter for companion animal - HUD. It is a PDF and is very specific in wording.

Sample letter for Companion Animal

DATE

NAME OF PROFESSIONAL (therapist, physician, psychiatrist, rehabilitation counselor)

ADDRESS

Dear [HOUSING AUTHROITY/LANDLORD]:

[NAME OF TENANT] is my patient, and has been under my care since [DATE]. I am intimately familiar with his/her history and with the functional limitations imposed by his/her disability. He/She meets the definition of disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Due to mental illness, [FIRST NAME] has certain limitations regarding [SOCIAL INTERACTION/COPING WITH STRESS/ANXIETY, ETC]. In order to help alleviate these difficulties, and to enhance his/her ability to live independently and to fully use and enjoy the dwelling unit you own and/or administer, I am prescribing an emotional support animal that will assist [FIRST NAME] in coping with his/her disability.

I am familiar with the voluminous professional literature concerning the therapeutic benefits of assistance animals for people with disabilities such as that experienced by [FIRST NAME]. Upon request, I will share citations to relevant studies, and would be happy to answer other questions you may have concerning my recommendation that [FULL NAME OF TENANT] have an emotional support animal. Should you have additional question, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Signature

[NAME OF PROFESSIONAL]

"CJ, that is another good point. Why are these websites even legal."

It seems to me they probably get away with it because they are operating in a gray area. Selling something that is of no value but not technically breaking the law. Probably like a lot of products aimed at men for hair restoration or "low T" products for men that may not do anything. The customer is the one actually breaking the law (in some states) if they misrepresent the dog using the certificate.

The animals are in Lowes and sometimes HD because some hardware stores allow well behaved pets on a leash. My Lowes does.

Barb: The problem is that, VERY OFTEN, Lowes and HD and other such stores also tend to allow animals that are very much NOT well behaved. Someone even mentioned one above -- people letting their animals get in the way, barking at others, on long 15' leashes off on their own. I have no problem with well behaved pets. But lots of them aren't -- but still get allowed because of ESA crap (when, again, by law, we know they are not required to take ESAs at all).

Also, people need to be careful about "requiring" a letter just like that. That was a sample letter from HUD intended for health professionals to use to do a well done letter. But that does NOT necessarily mean that we can require that everything in that letter is in the letter that we get from someone else.

It's a sample. A guide for those writing them. It is not intended to be a list of the minimum things that we can "require" in letters that we receive.

Just something for everyone to keep in mind.

- John...

I would agree with that too. And I also agree it is a very large grey area that leaves things open for interpretation. But that is how the law is written, unfortunately.

Also, the "fully use and enjoy" line is specific to federal law. It doesn't necessarily really mean "fully use and enjoy" like me might take literally. (I.e. we can't go "Well, even with this animal, I'm not sure you'd REALLY 'fully enjoy' my building). :)

In other words, don't read too much into that line. It's kinda like most people not really getting what "quiet enjoyment" means. It's not about whether or not you can hear your neighbor's TV at night. :) It's more of a legal term.

- John...