SERVICE ANIMALS - Landlord Forum thread 359176

SERVICE ANIMALS by June on March 28, 2019 @00:19

How can I determine if a "Service Animal" is really a true Service Animal? Is there some ligit form they must have? A lady came to view my rental today and claimed the huge dog she brought along was a ligit service animal. He was 11 years old, wild and pulling her in all directions by his leash. They finally put him in their car. They were not able to control him a all. This is the first time someone made such a claim to get their huge dog into this 3 BR house. Lady claimed she had a seizure disorder.

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Re: SERVICE ANIMALS by Garry on March 28, 2019 @09:31	[ Reply ]

First, June, you must get your terms right. A true "service animal" is a dog or minature horse that has went thru 1-2 years of training to eventually help seeing or hearing impaired people, or to detect when someone may be having a seizure. An "Emotional Support Animal---ESA" can be dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, etc. and do not need to be trained for anything. They are just there to give love and comfort to a disabled person. Whether the animal was a service animal, or an ESA, they all must be friendly to all other humans, and be able to be totally controlled by the disabled person at all times. Yes, you can ask for the prospective tenant to provide you with a letter from a qualified doctor, social worker,counselor, therapist, psychiatrist, etc. saying that the ESA is needed. That letter must come from someone the T is seeing regularly in the area, not from someone several hundred mile away out of state. You cannot charge extra rent or extra deposit for a service or ESA. I would say that you were being scammed, so the person would not have to pay any extra for the dog. Your local or state Civil Rights office will have all the info you need for this topic.

Re: SERVICE ANIMALS