Emotional Support Animals

[Dennis Callaghan]

Good Morning All,

I have tried to find a clear answer on this subject and it seems like it is not in the landlord's favor. Under the Fair Housing Act an Emotional Support Animal is not a pet and it appears as though you cannot decline their animals. The issue I have is myself and my brother have SF rentals we own together and he is severely allergic to cats and mildly allergic to dogs and everything under the sun. Having these animals will literally force him from being able to walk into his own properties without jamming his sinuses up for days after coming contact with the animals. I know we can say no animals (and we do) in our leases but if they wanted to push their weight and show proof that they have an ESA certificate it appears as though there is not much to do even though he cannot be around them????

[Nick C.]

Unfortunately landlords with allergies are not a protected class. Tenants with emotional support animals are going to win this battle every time. Although 99% of emotional support animals are BS, it's something that landlords are going to have to deal with more and more as time goes on.