Potential Tenants Have 2 Dogs and One is an Emotional Support Dog

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Potential Tenants Have 2 Dogs and One is an Emotional Support Dog

Matthew Kirkwold
Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2021 · 26 posts · 21 votes

Hi BP! I have people applying with two dogs and one of them is an ESA. Our policy is $50/mo pet rent and $300 pet fee for one pet and $75/mo pet rent and $500 pet fee for two pets. I am wondering what other people do in this situation? Based on my understanding, I am legally able to charge pet rent/fee as if they only had one pet and that also seems like the right thing to do. Thanks for any advice or input!

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Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
4y

Tim is correct. You can charge for the pet, but not the ESA. You should definitely learn how to screen an ESA. Here's a guide from HUD: https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfil...

You are NOT required to accept letters or certificates purchased on a website. The HUD guidance says the letter should be from a medical provider and within the last year. You have a right to verify the letter is authentic by calling the medical provider directly.

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  • Tim Herman
    Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    4y

    @Matthew Kirkwold You are correct that you can only charge 1 pet fee and pet rent. Verify that the ESA is from a local doctor and not from a website. Good luck

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  • Henry T.
    Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    4y

    Read up what "Fair Housing" has to say about emotional support animals.

    https://fairhousinginstitute.c...

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  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    4y

    Tim is correct. You can charge for the pet, but not the ESA. You should definitely learn how to screen an ESA. Here's a guide from HUD: https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfil...

    You are NOT required to accept letters or certificates purchased on a website. The HUD guidance says the letter should be from a medical provider and within the last year. You have a right to verify the letter is authentic by calling the medical provider directly.

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    WebsiteView Page
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  • Scott JohnsonBusiness Member
    Specialist · Greenville, NC · Member since 2019 · 673 posts · 408 votes
    4y
    Quote from @Matthew Kirkwold:

    Hi BP! I have people applying with two dogs and one of them is an ESA. Our policy is $50/mo pet rent and $300 pet fee for one pet and $75/mo pet rent and $500 pet fee for two pets. I am wondering what other people do in this situation? Based on my understanding, I am legally able to charge pet rent/fee as if they only had one pet and that also seems like the right thing to do. Thanks for any advice or input!


    Emotional support animals don't apply to me unless I have written documentation (a letter) stating that it's medically needed. I also call the doctor who wrote the letter to verify that it is the correct pet (color, breed, etc).

    You can't charge pet fees, in North Carolina, for pets that have a medical relevance. The other dog that is not an emotional support animal would be charged normally. 

    [email protected]
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  • Elle Bee
    Member since 2022 · 11 posts · 1 vote
    4y

    We charge 600.00 - 1000.00 per pet, depending on size and a monthly pet fee; 

    Obviously we don’t want pets in the home and use these fees to discourage renters with pets but usually it ensures we get people who can not only afford their pets but who are great pet owners. The logic of renters often escapes me.  If you want to own huge dogs, buy a home. 

    I had an applicant last year who tried to get into our property with FIVE emotional support dogs. One for each member of the family. They were traumatized by driving past a car wreck. Didn’t get help. No doctors, no therapy - they just decided they needed support pets. 

    I found her in an online forum where she uses these 5 dogs (1 male stud) to produce 8 litters per year, and she charges 3k per puppy. Thats 120k in sales on average~ and she wanted to use my home basically as a kennel. 

    I did not have to end up dealing with this situation; 
    Our city has limits on dogs per household (2)  and since she was not disclosing herself as a breeder to me, she didn’t qualify for the breeder waiver. 

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