Updated August 31, 2026
How to get an ESA letter
Five steps, one of which people usually skip — and skipping it is why perfectly good letters get ignored.
Reviewed for clinical accuracy by Andrew Patel, LCSW, Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Last reviewed August 31, 2026.
Step 1 · Check your state first
Before anything else, find out whether you live in Arkansas, California, Iowa, Louisiana or Montana. Those five states require a 30-day client-provider relationship before a letter can issue. If you are in one of them and you need housing sorted next week, that is a real problem and you should start today. Check your state →
Step 2 · Ask your own provider, if you have one
If you already see a therapist or psychiatrist, ask them. A letter from a clinician who has treated you for a year is stronger than anything an evaluation service can produce, and it costs you nothing. Some providers decline on policy grounds, and that is when a service like ours makes sense.
Step 3 · Get evaluated
Whether it is your own provider or ours, the evaluation covers the same ground: your symptoms, how long they have been going on, how they limit your daily life, your treatment history, and what your animal does for you.
Prepare four things and the appointment goes much better
1. A list of things you have stopped doing because of your condition. 2. Roughly how long it has been going on. 3. Any treatment history — therapists, medications, hospital stays. 4. A description of one bad hour and what changes when your animal is with you.
Step 4 · Receive the letter
If the clinician approves you, the letter arrives by email. In the 45 states without a waiting period, that is typically about 15 minutes after approval. Check it against the requirements checklist before you send it anywhere — particularly the license number and state.
Step 5 · Make the actual request — this is the step people skip
The letter is evidence. It is not a request. Emailing a PDF to your leasing office with no covering message is the most common mistake people make, and it is why letters sit unanswered.
Write a short reasonable accommodation request: name the policy you are asking to be waived, state that you have a disability and a disability-related need for the animal, attach the letter, and ask for a written response by a specific date. Template and wording here.
What has changed for 2026
HUD narrowed its enforcement standard on May 22, 2026. It now pursues Fair Housing Act complaints only for animals individually trained to do disability-related tasks. Practically, that means two things for you: do the paperwork properly the first time, because you have less federal backstop than you did, and find out what your state law says, because that is now doing most of the work. Full explanation →
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
How fast is realistic?
In 45 states, a day or two from questionnaire to letter, with the letter itself arriving about 15 minutes after clinician approval. In the five waiting-period states, at least 30 days, by law.
What if I am denied by the clinician?
You are not charged for a letter. You can ask what they saw and whether a different route — including a psychiatric service dog, if your animal does trained tasks — would fit better.
Do I need to tell my landlord in advance?
You can request an accommodation at any time, including after you already have the animal and even after a lease violation notice. Sooner is easier, but late is not fatal.
Sources
- 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
- Joint Statement on Reasonable Accommodations Under the Fair Housing Act HUD and the U.S. Department of Justice
- Directory of state and local fair housing agencies (FHAP partners) HUD Fair Housing Assistance Program
- File a housing discrimination complaint with HUD HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
- Federal Trade Commission — consumer protection and advertising rules Federal Trade Commission
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.