Emotional Support Animal Certification
By getting proper certification for your emotional support animal you will be able to have it fly with you in the cabin of commercial airplanes and live with you in housing that has policies prohibiting pets on the premises. And these rights are guaranteed by federal law. To certify your Emotional Support Animal all you need as an ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional.
ESA Certification for Housing
The Fair Housing Act (FHA) allows individuals to live with an ESA. The law states that landlords/property owners must make reasonable accommodation for ESAs. That includes bypassing “no pet” policies. Landlords/property managers also cannot charge you for accommodating your ESA. That includes bypassing charge, such as pet deposit fees.
Be aware that although you and your emotional support animal do have rights under the FHA, there are situations that allow for a landlord/property manager does not have to make reasonable accommodation, including:
- Living unit is a single-family home that is rented without a real estate agent.
- Housing has 4 or fewer units and the landlord lives in one of them.
- The animal is demonstrably too large for the accommodation, such as a horse in a one-bedroom apartment
ESA Certification for Air Travel
To certify your emotional support animal (ESA) to comply with the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) all you need is an ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional.
The ACAA states that your ESA can fly with you in-cabin, free of charge. The primary function of the ACCA is to make sure that people with disabilities traveling by air are treated with care and respect. And that includes accommodating emotional support animals.
Be aware that although you and your emotional support animal do have rights under the ACAA, the airlines also have rights including:
- Requiring advanced notice of a passenger flying with an ESA.
- Not accepting certain types of animals, such as insects and reptiles.
- Requiring size limitations, such as animals small enough not to block the aisles.
- Controlling seat assignments, such as not seating a person with an ESA in an exit row.
Every airline has its own set of rules regarding ESA travel. It is best to review those rules prior to purchasing a ticket to fly to make sure that your ESA will be welcomed onboard the airplane.
How to Get Your Emotional Support Animal Certification
Although you can contact a licensed mental health professional on your own and hope that they are up-to-speed on the requirements for certification, thousands of people over the years have found the DOGtor to be a faster and easier way to get the certification they need in the form of an official ESA letter. Our deep experience and expansive network of healthcare professionals, make us very efficient at getting you the ESA certification you need. And efficiency by us translates to affordability for you.
