ESA card the same as a letter from a medical professional?

Sioux City, Iowa
General Landlording & Rental Properties
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ESA card the same as a letter from a medical professional?

Account Closed
Member since 2021 · 1 post · 0 votes

Prospective tenant has an emotional support animal and sent me one of those cards that you purchase online (assuming). I would like to ask for the official letter from a medical professional, but wanting to tread lightly on this. Do those cards online suffice? Or am I allowed to ask for the actual letter? The card says "This animal was prescribed by a physician or mental health provider"

Context: i'm ok with the dogs regardless but I want them to pay a security deposit and they are saying they don't need to pay a deposit with the emotional support animal.

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  • Tim Herman
    Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    3y

    @Account Closed if it is truly an ESA you cannot charge an additional security deposit. Petscreening.com is an independent verification. Free for property managers. You have to be careful about what you ask, so have a service do the job for you.

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  • Patti RobertsonBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Virginia Beach, VA · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    3y

    I agree with @Tim Herman that you are best off creating a free landlord profile at petscreening.com and sending your tenant a link. They want you to have every applicant complete a profile, and that's what I do. They will determine if the ESA is legit by requiring the documentation and validating it. NOTE - they don't do the same with service animals. With service animals they simply ask two questions dictated by HUD and if the applicant answers correctly, they accept it. They screen pets just like we screen people, and will give each pet (not an accomodation animal) a risk rating of 1-5 paws. We set our pet rent based on this rating and charge $30-$50/month/pet depending on the score.

    757-472-2547
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  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    3y
    Quote from @Account Closed:

    There is no official registration. There are no cards. No vests. No tags. No certificates. All of those things are available to anyone with the swipe of a credit card and they do not confirm legality.

    Study this and learn what's allowed and what's not. Even better: get a free account with Petscreening.com and let them do the heavy lifting for you.

    https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfil...

    The DIY Landlord Book4.7247 Reviews
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