Updated August 31, 2026
HIPAA Compliance
The short version: your diagnosis does not go on your letter, your landlord does not get your records, and clinical information stays with the clinician who created it.
Reviewed for clinical accuracy by Andrew Patel, LCSW, Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Last reviewed August 31, 2026.
Last updated August 31, 2026
Who Is Covered by HIPAA Here
HIPAA applies to covered entities — health care providers who transmit health information electronically in connection with certain transactions — and to their business associates. The licensed clinicians who evaluate you are health care providers. Our platform acts as a business associate to the extent it handles protected health information on their behalf, and operates under written business associate agreements where required.
Not everything on this site is protected health information. Marketing pages, the state law guides and the screening questionnaire before you engage a clinician are not clinical records. Once you are matched with a clinician and an evaluation begins, what you tell them is.
What We Do
- Encryption in transit and at rest. Clinical data is encrypted using industry-standard protocols on the wire and in storage.
- Access controls. Clinical records are accessible to the treating clinician and to the minimum number of staff needed to operate the service.
- Business associate agreements. Executed with vendors who may handle protected health information on our behalf.
- Audit logging. Access to clinical records is logged.
- Workforce training. Staff who could encounter protected health information receive privacy and security training.
- Breach notification. If protected health information is breached, affected individuals are notified as HIPAA requires.
What Your Landlord Receives
This is the part people actually worry about, so it is worth being direct.
Your letter does not contain your diagnosis
A properly written ESA letter confirms that you have a disability under the Fair Housing Act and that the animal is part of your treatment. It does not name the condition. Under fair housing law, a housing provider is entitled to verification of a disability-related need — not to your medical records, not to your diagnosis, and not to a signed release for your clinical file.
A landlord may contact the clinician to confirm the letter is authentic and the license is real. The clinician will confirm those facts and nothing further without your written authorization.
Your Rights
Under HIPAA you generally have the right to:
- Inspect and obtain a copy of your clinical records
- Request corrections to information you believe is inaccurate
- Receive an accounting of certain disclosures
- Request restrictions on how your information is used or disclosed
- Request confidential communication through a particular channel
- Receive a Notice of Privacy Practices from your treating clinician
- File a complaint with your provider or with the HHS Office for Civil Rights, without retaliation
To exercise any of these, email privacy@bestesaletter.com and we will route the request to the right party. Records requests are generally directed to the clinician who created the record.
Please Do Not Email Clinical Details
Ordinary email is not a secure channel, and our support inbox is not a clinical system. Do not send diagnoses, medical records or treatment history to support. Raise anything clinical with your clinician directly, or ask us to arrange a secure route.
Where This Sits Alongside Other Policies
This page describes handling of protected health information. Our privacy policy covers the rest — website analytics, cookies, payment data, and state privacy rights that apply regardless of HIPAA.
Template notice
This page describes intended practices and must be reviewed and adapted by qualified healthcare privacy counsel before it goes live. It is not itself legal advice and should not be published unmodified.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my landlord find out my diagnosis?
Not from your letter, and not from your clinician without your written authorization. A housing provider is entitled to verification of a disability-related need, not to the underlying medical information.
Is the video appointment HIPAA compliant?
Clinical appointments are conducted over platforms operating under business associate agreements. If you have a specific concern about the platform being used, raise it before your appointment.
How long are records kept?
Clinicians retain records for the period their state licensure and professional rules require, which commonly runs to several years after the last contact.
Sources
- HIPAA for individuals — your health information privacy rights U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164 — the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
- File a health information privacy complaint HHS Office for Civil Rights
- 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
Find Out Where You Stand in About Ten Minutes
Answer a short screening questionnaire, talk to a clinician licensed in your state, and get a real answer either way.