Rejecting an ESA

[Danielle Campos]

I just posted my rooms for rent in my first house-hacking (yay!) and I've been trying to understand how I should reply to some inquiries I've been receiving. I've posted that I prefer female housemates (zillow, hotpads, and roomies allow for this) so I assume I can deny someone for being male if that's not what I want and clearly state this in my reply to them?

Another one that has popped up a lot is people with ESAs. One has been an ESA cat - which I am allergic to cats. I assume I can deny on the fact that I'm allergic to cats? However, my latest inquiry has been a woman with an ESA dog. I have a dog in the house and would not like other pets at this time, being ESA or not. Can I deny this person and state that I do not want additional animals in the house? Is there any risk to me in denying for this reason?