FACTS:                    

An applicant has informed the property management company that he has an emotional support animal.

ISSUE:                      

Can the property manager ask for documentation from the tenant indicating the tenant would benefit from an emotional support animal?

ANSWER:                

See discussion.

DISCUSSION:         

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development office issued a letter on the topic of service animals, which provides that housing providers may ask individuals who have disabilities that are not readily apparent or known to the provider to submit reliable documentation of a disability and their disability-related need for an assistance animal.  Acceptable forms the housing provider may ask for include documentation from a physician, psychiatrist, social worker, or other mental health professional that the animal provides emotional support that alleviates one or more of the identified symptoms or effects of an existing disability.  Such documentation is sufficient if it establishes that an individual has a disability and that the animal in question will provide some type of disability-related assistance or emotional support.

For more information on this topic, please visit: SLS Service or Support Animal – YouTube.