Updated August 31, 2026
Writing the accommodation request
Your letter is evidence. The request is what actually asks for something. Emailing the letter with no covering message is the most common mistake in this whole process.
Reviewed for clinical accuracy by Andrew Patel, LCSW, Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Last reviewed August 31, 2026.
What the request has to do
Four things, and it can do all of them in six sentences:
- Identify you and your unit.
- Name the specific policy you are asking to be waived or modified.
- State that you have a disability and a disability-related need for the animal — without naming the diagnosis.
- Ask for a written response by a specific date.
Template
Dear [name],
I am the tenant at [unit address]. I am writing to request a reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Act and applicable [state] law.
I have a disability. Because of it, I have a disability-related need for an assistance animal, [animal name], a [species/breed]. I am requesting an exception to [the no-pet policy / the weight limit / the breed restriction / the pet fee], so that I can keep [animal name] in my home.
Attached is a letter from [clinician name], a [license type] licensed in [state], license number [number], confirming my disability-related need for this animal.
Please confirm your decision in writing by [date, roughly ten business days out]. If you need anything further to process this request, please let me know in writing and I will respond promptly.
Thank you,
[name] · [phone] · [email] · [date]
What to leave out
- Your diagnosis. Not required. Once disclosed, it cannot be undisclosed.
- Your medical history. Same.
- Apologies. You are making a lawful request, not asking a favor.
- Threats. Mentioning a lawsuit in the first email makes the conversation adversarial before it needs to be. Save it.
- The word "pet." Use "assistance animal" throughout. It is a legal category and it frames the request correctly.
Send it by email
Email gives you a timestamp, a delivery record and a copy that cannot be lost. If your building insists on a portal, use the portal and email a copy as well. If you hand it over in person, follow up with an email that says "confirming the request I delivered today."
After you send it
- Reasonable time. There is no universal federal deadline, but ten business days is a normal expectation, and some states set their own. Silence past a reasonable window can itself be treated as a denial.
- Interactive process. They are allowed to ask clarifying questions and to propose alternatives. Engage with it. A tenant who refuses to discuss anything looks worse than one who negotiates.
- Keep everything. Every email, every note, every voicemail. After May 2026, courts and agencies are doing more case-by-case analysis, and case-by-case analysis is decided on records.
If they ask for more
Requests you can reasonably meet: verifying the clinician's license, confirming the letter is current, confirming which animal is covered.
Requests you can decline: your medical records, your diagnosis, a signed release for your full clinical file, proof of training for an emotional support animal, a fee to process the request, or their insistence that you use only their own form. You may complete their form if you like, but you are not required to, and you should not sign a broad medical release to get an accommodation.
Pricing
ESA Letter Cost: One Price, Paid Once
No subscription, no renewal auto-charge, no registry fee. You pay for a clinical evaluation and, if the clinician approves you, a signed letter.
ESA Letter
- Signed by a clinician licensed in your state
- Covers up to 2 emotional support animals
- Formatted for landlords, property managers and HOAs
- Free rewrite if your landlord asks for a different format
ESA Letter · 3+ Animals
- Every animal named on one letter
- Signed by a clinician licensed in your state
- Useful when a building caps the number of pets
- Free rewrite if your landlord asks for a different format
PSD Letter
- Confirms a disability and a need for task-trained work
- Useful for housing, employers and school disability offices
- Covers up to 2 dogs
- Not an ADA certificate — see the note below
PSD Letter · Up to 3 Dogs
- Every dog named on one letter
- Confirms a disability and a need for task-trained work
- Covers up to 3 dogs
- Not an ADA certificate — see the note below
About the PSD letter: it is documentation from a licensed clinician, not a certificate or an ID. Under the ADA, public access comes from your dog being individually trained to do work or tasks for your disability. Businesses are allowed to ask only two questions and are not allowed to require paperwork. Nobody can sell you access rights — anyone who says otherwise is selling a novelty.
You are charged only after a clinician approves you. We may place a temporary authorization hold on your card beforehand to confirm it is valid; a hold is not a charge and is released if you are not approved.
100% refund if your landlord denies your ESA. If your housing provider refuses the accommodation after you submit a letter we issued, we refund what you paid in full. Full terms, including what a claim needs, on our refund policy page.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I ask after I already have the animal?
Yes. You can request an accommodation at any time, including after a lease violation notice. Do it in writing immediately if you have received one.
What if my lease says no pets and I signed it?
Signing a lease does not waive your right to request an accommodation. An accommodation is precisely a request to make an exception to a rule you are otherwise bound by.
Do I have to use the word "disability"?
You should. It is the legal trigger. "I have anxiety and my dog helps" is a weaker sentence than "I have a disability and a disability-related need for an assistance animal."
Sources
- Joint Statement on Reasonable Accommodations Under the Fair Housing Act HUD and the U.S. Department of Justice
- Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3604 — discrimination in the sale or rental of housing Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives
- Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity — the office that enforces the Fair Housing Act U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Disability rights in housing — HUD overview HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
- File a housing discrimination complaint with HUD HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
- Directory of state and local fair housing agencies (FHAP partners) HUD Fair Housing Assistance Program
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