Will my genuine ESA’s reduce my chances of getting accepted?

Question

I have two large dogs, who are both registered Emotional Support Animals through my doctor. They genuinely help me with my anxiety and depression, I have struggled with these issues since I was 11. I don’t know what I would do without my dogs. I know legally we cannot be denied because of this, but I worry this is going to be offsetting to the property management company regardless.

The place we are wanting to apply for considers small dogs.

Otherwise, we don’t quite meet two of the requirements of the house we are wanting to apply to. But, their website stated that with a co-signer we can get around this - and thus doubling our deposit. We do have a very reliable co-signer who should have zero issue getting accepted. He has outstanding credit and exceeds the requirements we don’t make, and he has co-singed on multiple things for me in the past.

We don’t have any bad records, no previous evictions, we’ve never been late on a payment. Just young and trying to get into somewhere good for us.

1) We don’t make 3x the rent. Collectively we make $310 below the 3x rent.

2) We don’t have 2 years of rental history. My boyfriend has 1 1/2 years, and I have roughly 1 year.

With a co-signer, does this mean we do meet the requirements because we have him? Or can we still be denied even if he is also approved?

On top of this, I am just worried my dogs may get in the way of this. I put together a very strong cover letter, and a pet resume. The pet resume has references to our previous land lord who has lots of experience with our dogs in the home. I also included a reference to the manager of a doggy daycare they’ve attended, so they have a professional reference to get an idea how our dogs are with other people and animals in a high energy environment.

They are crate trained, up to date on vaccinations, healthy, we do preventive measures for parasites, we are very clean and take awesome care of our pets and space.

I want advice and opinions from landlords. Would you accept us? We are extremely reliable and responsible, and really want this to work out. What else can we do to increase our chances?

Thank you so much!

Steve Vaughan · Answer

Yep, the cake is already there. The dogs are just the icing to further sink you.

'Right' or not, another intangible most that have been offering housing a while look for is relationship status.  Bf gf can be worse than roommates.  At least when roommates separate I don't have drama.  No that basturd did this, she does that and how do I get my half of the deposit back.  LOL

Jim K. · Answer

@Taya Nolan

The dogs make you less desirable as a renter. Dogs have big claws, and they scratch up flooring. They tend to gnaw on things. There's always a risk they're going to bite someone. The landlord has only your word about how clean you and they are. There is also no guarantee your dogs' behavior won't change. I once had a renter with a pit bull that he swore up and down was the most gentle dog on the planet, but as soon as his wife gave birth the dog was gone. It couldn't stop snapping at the new baby grabbing its ears.

Your "very strong cover letter" and your "pet resume" are just documents that you made up. There are references from a previous landlord in the cover letter, is that your current landlord? There are plenty of landlords who, when asked about their current tenants, will say only good things because the landlords just want those tenants GONE. The manager of the doggy daycare might just want your continued business, or be a personal friend of yours. The landlord considering your application has no guarantees -- it's not a crime to lie to a landlord.

Plus that, it's TWO big dogs. Not just one. What's to guarantee, for the landlord, that you and your doctor won't suddenly find you need THREE bigs dogs to properly manage your anxiety and depression, with the additional wear and tear on the property that would entail? What control does the landlord have over that situation not coming about?

I'd look into buying a home.

Dawn P. · Answer

@Taya Nolan You have two large dogs and want to get into a place that only accepts small ones, AND you don't quite make 3 times the rent nor have much of a rental history. Honestly, I'd pass on you for this place if it were mine.

I'd keep hunting for a slightly cheaper place that will accept large dogs, or like @Jim K. said, maybe look for a place to buy?

Jim K. · Answer

Taya, here's the straightest I can shoot about this situation. Ultimately, in your situation, you're going to be forced into buying a house. The dogs are a huge liability and your condition demands that you have them. You have a big problem you need to structure your life around. I am no different, by the way. There are quite a few people in real estate and on Bigger Pockets who are here primarily because they have certain problems that only real estate allowed them to deal with.

Start looking into home financing options NOW. Start saving a lot of money and living well below your means. Buy Craig Curelop's book on house-hacking. Look into FHA mortgages with small down payments. The dogs are part of your life. The boyfriend has to understand and get on board. You state that this has been.part of your life since you were 11. I'm sure your doctor has already informed you this is very likely a classic presentation of general depressive disorder, a lifelong condition. This is your cross to bear. It's not fair. But it's still there.

These are hard realities to be hit with at 18. I know. I got my own set presented to me back in my own youth. Good luck to you.

Steve Vaughan · Answer

The dogs are more important to you I would think than a bigger place with a 3rd roommate.

Apply and if it doesn't work out, just stay where you are.   No harm in applying as long as their qual criteria is presented first to you in writing and the application fees are reasonable.

Jay Hinrichs · Answer

go for an apartment to start.. they are more lenient than private single family home owners that are landlords..

especially nicer higher end apartmetns they have doggie parks etc.. although two dogs may not be allowed and if you have a dog that is a restricted breed.. IE pitt bull  rotty  German shepard etc.. then you really will have a tough time with most landlords as insurance wont cover those dogs..

Wesley W. · Answer

@Taya Nolan

ESA dogs aside, you don't even qualify for the unit - end of story.  The dogs are a red herring in this scenario, in my opinion.  But like others have tried to explain - your tenancy represents a lot of risk for your future landlord.  Many landlords (myself included) do not want additional hassle involved with incorporating a co-signer - it just creates too many moving parts that have to work in order for your tenancy to be a success.  There is really no upside for your landlord to add a co-signer.  Additionally, some recent "landlord protection laws" across the country have made it impossible for landlords to accept people in your situation, as it is now illegal (in NY, for example) for landlords to accept an additional deposit beyond a month's rent on a tenant whom brings with her additional risk.  So, now those tenants that represent a higher risk MUST be passed over in order to avoid discrimination against those that DO completely qualify.

Again, it's all about risk.  Landlords are running a business, and we try to mitigate all risks that would affect the health of our business.  Please don't take this the wrong way, but your personal and financial situation makes it hard for someone to offer you housing with confidence.  Landlords feed their families and cloth their children with rental revenue.  If they have to spend money fighting a dog-bite lawsuit on their property, repairing pet damage from large dogs, or losing rental income while evicting a tenant would cannot pay and chooses to stay in the property (which is stealing, quite bluntly), the landlord's family suffers financially.  The landlord cannot take on your family's risk as his own - which is what he would be doing.

My suggestion is to find a distressed home from a county land bank, purchase it with your own hard-earned money with the assistance of a lender, become a property owner, and enjoy all the privileges and responsibilities that come with it.

Good luck!

Dennis M. · Answer

@Taya Nolan

Do you really need 2 dogs  because of anxiety ? I’m not making light of your situation or your past but I can assure most landlords are not going to like that especially if they are larger type dogs . Is it right ? I’m not going to answer that but I think it’s safe to say you would be passed over for a better candidate without any dogs

Taya Nolan · Answer

@Dennis M.

No, I don’t necessarily need both dogs for anxiety. Obviously I coped with my mental illness years before my dogs were even alive, and I lived. But,

Both dogs provide me with emotional relief and have helped me greatly through my struggles. My doctor agrees on this.

You’re right that one does not provide me more support than the other.

Realistically, you don’t need to register an animal as an ESA for them to provide you support. They’ve helped me for longer than they’ve been my official ESAs. You can train them to recognize when you need relief and to aide you regardless if they’re registered ESAs or not.

Although they have always helped me, we had no reason to actually get a doctors note until we began renting.

With that being said, I got them registered because this permits them to be with me wherever we live to continue providing me the support I need.

I need this as an option because they genuinely do make a difference for me.

But, if renting with them was not an issue I would have no other reason to get them registered. It doesn’t make their support any more helpful, it just guarantees my accessibility to it regardless of my living conditions

Unfortunately other people take advantage of this because it is easy to get. Everyone says they have anxiety anymore. This makes it very frustrating for people like me who really benefit from this tool because we now have a bad rep and look like we’re taking advantage of the system.

I have struggled severely with my mental health since I was 11, I am very grateful to have my dogs as they’ve made a huge difference in my life.

Taya Nolan · Answer

@Steve Vaughan

Thanks for your input. My boyfriend and I have been together for 3 years, we’re a pretty reliable couple. But I know we can’t guarantee that or a LL.

Will my genuine ESA’s reduce my chances of getting accepted?

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