Comfort dog request

[Matt J.]

Hello BP, I have a SFR rental in the greater Tacoma Seattle area (not in Seattle proper though). The existing tenant has been in place for about 6 months. When I rented to them they asked about getting a dog and I made it clear I would not allow pets.

They just informed me that their son has been diagnosed with autism and the doctor gave them a letter/prescription advising that he have a "comfort dog". 

Question - Do I legally have to allow this pet? 

As a parent myself I certainly understand wanting to help your children but the 20 year landlord in me has me skeptical, and frankly I don't like pets in my properties. 

[Ryan Murdock]

@Matt J. As soon as they have that letter/prescription you lose your rights so someone else can be "comforted". 

The dog is no longer a pet in the eyes of the law. Try to deny it and you'll quickly end up on the losing end of a court judgement. There's been a ton of conversation about this topic on BP so just do a quick search and you'll learn more than you probably want to. Since it is such a high stakes issue you want to get educated on it ASAP. There are no shortage of attorneys waiting to pounce on unsuspecting landlords who violate Fair Housing laws.