Esa Dog Rental Laws

Florida recently passed new laws governing emotional support animals esa which go into effect on july 1 2020.

Esa dog rental laws. Americans love their animals. If you have a disability you may qualify for a. These rules were also intended to address a growing concern that tenants are. You can enforce that policy by including a no pets clause in your rental lease agreement.

By lisa guerin j d. If you are subject to certain federal laws though you cannot enforce a no pet policy on a tenant or prospective renter who has an emotional support animal or a service animal. You re in the right place. Emotional support animal an emotional support animal is an animal that provides assistance to an individual with a mental or physical disability.

Esa laws also protect the privacy of an esa owner. There may be circumstances that arise when a landlord does have a right to evict a tenant with an esa. Employment law is one area where california is significantly different than other states. In california tenants have the right to bring their service dogs and emotional support animals to live with them in many circumstances.

Renting to a pet owner can make good business sense because of this demand and some landlords find animal lovers more responsible and willing to pay higher rent to accommodate their furry or scaly friends. And certapet is here to help. This will be if the person s emotional support animal is a threat to the safety of the building or the tenants or the presence of the animal is causing an undue burden on the landlord. California esa employment laws.

Under texas law and the federal americans with disabilities act ada people with disabilities may bring their service animals to all public accommodations such as government buildings hotels restaurants stadiums and stores. In fact 47 percent of renters list allowing pets as a requirement for their next home. Landlords and airlines are not allowed to request specific details regarding an esa owner s condition and they cannot ask for medical records or a medical examination. It s likely that you re here because a tenant or future tenant handed you an emotional support animal letter from their therapist and you re interested in finding out what your rights are as a landlord.

Your pet is not recognized as an esa in the eyes of the law until you qualify for an esa letter. These new laws clarify how residents of florida can properly qualify for an emotional support animal and affirm the special rights esa owners have. A tenant may be allowed to have a cat but not a dog or can have a dog as long as it is not on their insurance company s list of dangerous dog breeds. However california state law goes above and beyond to provide these protections to workers.