Fair Housing Act emotional support animals law stopped $500 pet fee immediately

Posting this in case anyone else ends up in a similar situation, because I had no idea about my rights until recently.

I moved into my apartment six months ago with my two dogs and everything was fine until I suddenly got a notice saying I owed a $500 pet deposit plus $50 per month for each dog. That’s $1,100 just to keep my dogs, who are a huge part of how I manage my PTSD.

I started researching and came across the Fair Housing Act, which protects people with emotional support animals. If you have proper documentation from a licensed mental health professional, landlords can’t charge pet fees or deposits, and they can’t refuse to rent to you because of your ESA.

I connected with a legitimate therapist through telehealth, explained my situation, and got the required documentation within 48 hours. I showed it to my property manager along with the relevant federal housing information.

They completely changed their stance no deposit, no monthly pet rent, and they even apologized for the misunderstanding. My dogs are now officially recognized as emotional support animals.

If you’re facing housing discrimination, it’s worth knowing your rights and going through legitimate channels to get documentation. Just make sure to work with licensed professionals, not those sketchy certificate sites that promise quick ESA letters without real evaluations.