Pet deposit is legal as long as the applicant doesn't claim it to be a service or therapy animal.

I've substituted with 'animal', or canine/feline when I get specific in this ESA, support and therapy animal world we are playing in now.  

My wife and I rent specifically to subset of college students—grad students in Physical/Occupational Therapy or the medical fields.  

Have an animal policy with criteria in place (I say animal because pets in California are evolving into assistive, therapy and service animals at a breakneck pace.

No good deed goes unpunished it seems.I was leasing a place recently and had all sorts of inquiries from people with large dogs, one had three 'rescue' dogs, another rather comically had a dog and a puppy, and when I hesitated on the phone another tenant in the background said rather urgently, "tell him they are therapy dogs."

what are the differences between emotional support vs service vs therapy animals?.  

The terms service animal, assistance animal, emotional support animal, therapy animal, companion animal and/or comfort animal are often cited.

I have removed the word 'pet' from everywhere - ads, leases, addendums.As soon as someone has an emotional support, therapy or service animal - it is no longer a pet and none of your ppwk applies (as far as I know).I use 'animal', canine or feline.    

It could be pressure therapy, head support for those with narcolepsy, one of them could sense low blood sugar in diabetics and the other could sense seizures, there's a number of things. 

However, the best example is that airlines no longer are allowed to ask for proof that a service animal is required.Plus, because the use of service animals have extended so far beyond the previous scope of assistance animals, it becomes a quagmire as you get into situations where diabetics use dogs that can detect an oncoming blood sugar crisis before a blood test; people with seizure disorders have dogs who can detect an oncoming seizure, which medical science can't outside of an MRI/CAT/EMG; and therapy animals used to calm people with emotional &/or psychological disorders.