Legit ESA Letter in Pet Friendly Building

[Megan N Salmans]

Hi there,

I am not sure if this has already been asked and I am willing to ask a lawyer if necessary, I just wanted to try to see if anyone here could help me before taking other avenues.

I live in California and have been seeking therapy for awhile now and have been given an ESA letter from my therapist for my major anxiety and stress. I currently live in a pet friendly building (have lived here since 2017) where a majority of the tenants have a cat, and one tenant has a dog. 

The landlord is a real piece of work, he is very mean and difficult to talk to. To be honest I'm getting anxious thinking about how to approach the situation regarding informing him of an ESA soon to occupy my unit. 

My question is this. Because it's a pet friendly building, and everyone has a "pet". Do I still need to request "Reasonable Accommodation" for and with my ESA? I'm only finding answers for no-pet properties. If so how do I go about moving forward. I'm worried he will deny me or harass me or worse evict me. My lease has been month to month since after our first year.

Thank you

[Joe Splitrock]

Even if it is an ESA, you need to contact your landlord before you bring it into the property. My advice is work with the landlord. Although he can't legally evict you or retaliate, he can still raise your rent or choose to not renew your lease. Proving he did that just because of the dog would be difficult and not worth your time or money. 

Ultimately since the landlord allows pets, why not just bring it in as a pet? I think the whole ESA thing is kind of strange. Every pet helps relieve anxiety and stress. That is why people get pets, so really every pet is an ESA. Also keep in mind that animals are a big responsibility that take time and cost money. I have seen people get dogs to reduce anxiety, but then become overwhelmed by the responsibility. 

Have an honest conversation with the landlord. If he is as terrible as you say, maybe consider finding a new place. Most landlords are not as you describe.