I hope this is the right place to put this! If not, mods, please move it to where it belongs!

So, my family is planning to move to an apartment between the end of this year and the beginning of next year.

We've looked into a lot of different apartments, but a lot of them will not accept pets. (And the ones that do only accept cats/dogs and there's an extra fee for either) I can't leave my rabbit behind. She's my whole world!

I've found the only way around this is to register her as an Emotional Support Animal. I've been looking online for more information on how to do so, but a lot of these websites charge a fee just to print some papers. I was told that all I'd need is to get my therapist or psychiatrist to make a letter stating that I am disabled and need to have my pet here for therapeutic needs. Does this mean that I'd have to be on disability too? Or can I just have an ESA without being on disability?

And can anyone just get me some more information on ESAs? It's just really stressful right now as I have no clue what the first step is!

[_Theodora]

Yuppers...at your rabbit's service?

Has papers for your Doc to fill out and laws ...

(Could some nice moderator,or someone with the know how to; put this up as a sticky? Help many here? Thanks? )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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(((Kori)))--if you have difficulty with this here, just google the Bazelon people....wish you and your rabbit all the best!!!

http://www.bazelon.org/LinkClick.asp...c%3d&tabid=245

~~~~~~~~theodora

[Perna]

Check your city/state laws on it; they have narrowed the rules for the ADA requirements. Here's Seattle, Washington's, for example:

http://www.seattle.gov/civilrights/d...ce_animals.pdf

Everyone loves their pet so I'm sure they are rather strict on how a service/support animal is defined; not any way to enforce what you say/your piece of paper against them either, places don't usually tell you why you do not qualify for an apartment, just that you did not get it. You'd have to prove it was because of the rabbit, and go through a long legal thing, etc.

[DogTrainingLove]

You have to be disabled to have an ESA, and your doctor must recommend it as helpful for your disability. There is no registry or anything along those lines. Here's a good article...

Emotional Support Animals in Housing | Service Dog Central

[Perna]

Originally Posted by DogTrainingLove

You have to be disabled to have an ESA

Makes sense, the ADA is a Federal law so you'd have to have a Federally-defined disability which would mean you had applied and been accepted for SSDI or SDI.

[angustios101]

Hmmm I don't think you have to be disabled, you just need a letter from a therapist or pdoc saying you need for emotional support. they don't need to divulge your diagnosis nor do you need to be on SSI or SSDI. Service dogs are different; you have to have proof of disability.

The tricky part is not being discriminated against during the renting process. Someone once mentioned just moving in the with the animals and then if the landlord finds out and objects, slap them with the letter. Of course, that makes for some pretty bad landlord-tenant karma...

[_Theodora]

Yes, I mentioned signing the lease before you hand over the papers from your Doc.about the dog in another post.

I know this system intimately. Yes, bad Karma with Landlord, however; law is a Federal one. Only under certain criteria may they stop you from having an Emotional support Pet in any state in the USA. (1.Landlord lives on premises,2. less than four dwellings on premises)

Have had a great deal of experience with it. Landlords I had established housing with in NYC broke Federal Laws and denied me housing when first I returned to NY.

I'd prefer "Bad karma" with Landlord to killing my pet, and to being homeless? not fun...I can tell ya that...and, no, I would not kill my pet.


Why? Because I handed them my papers for my poor old mutt before I signed a lease! They insisted I kill her.They denied me the housing I had been promised: They broke Federal Law in so doing..."kill your animal" I would not. I wound up homeless in my car (God is good! I had a car!) in one of the worst winters in NYC history for 8 months as a result.

It is a Federal Law...does not change with the state you are in.

As the link I posted above states. The link tells you all you need to know, even includes a sample letter for your doc to fill out.

Again: Federal LAW?

http://www.bazelon.org/LinkClick.asp...c%3d&tabid=245

ESA ? with letter from Doc?:
LAW:
http://www.bazelon.org/LinkClick.asp...E%3d&tabid=268

[_Theodora]

I know this Federal law by heart, but will quote some of it for you?
You do not need to be on SSI or SSD, all you need is a letter from a Doctor stating that you are indeed suffering from a Mental Disability and need an ESA:


This is the Federal Law:
"The Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act protect the right of people with disabilities to keep emotional support animals, even when a landlord's policy explicitly prohibits pets.

Because emotional support and service animals are not "pets," but rather are considered to be more like assistive aids such as wheelchairs, the law will generally require the landlord to make an exception to its "no pet" policy so that a tenant with a disability can fully use and enjoy his or her dwelling.

In most housing complexes, so long as the tenant has a letter or prescription from an appropriate professional, such as a therapist or physician, and meets the definition of a person with a disability, he or she is entitled to a reasonable accommodation that would allow an emotional support animal in the apartment."

~~~~~~~pax. Theodora

[DogTrainingLove]

I know a lot about this subject, you do have to be disabled but do not have to be on any government assistants.

Disabled meaning that you are physically or mentally impaired in a way that substantially limits one or more major activity such as seeing, hearing, walking, getting the mail, ect. If you aren't disabled you can't have an ESA

Keep in mind ESA have to also be well behaved, if it makes a lot of noise or smell they still have the right to ask that you leave.

[DogTrainingLove]

Sorry if it sounded too much like what you posted, I wanted to show support and make sure the OP got the correct info. I've had an ESA and currently have a Service Dog so I'm familiar with all the laws and such.

[_Theodora]

Hi DogTrainingLove! No need to apologize

Thank you so much for reiterating everything I posted in my previous posts, and quoted from Federal Law?

I appreciate your input and support! As does Kori, the OP!

With heartfelt gratitude!~~~~~~~~~~Theodora

Yes! Thank you all so very much for answering my question!
I do think I would qualify for being disabled, it's just, I live with my parents who have a decent income so I don't know if I'd qualify for government assistance, and there'd be no point to it, as we have a decent income.
I just wanted to be sure that when we do move to this apartment out of state that I could still have an ESA without being on government assistance.

But yes! Thank you all so much for the responses and the links!
It took a while but I read through them all and the information has been very, VERY helpful!