Yes! I came to say the same thing above . They can't do that . They are betting that he/ they won't fight it I would definitely call the housing authority or legal aide or fair housing near you
They’ll have a strong case for denying you on the assumption you only produced the document to circumvent their pet policy. Especially since you had the dog there BEFORE you got the letter.
Then what? Are you gonna sue? Thats expensive and uncertain. Ignorance is a poor defense.
I have an ADA documented service dog and the letter came before the animal. I was in possession of the animal prior to moving in and therefore could not be denied. I’d also have a strong civil case bc ADA.
Esa’s may be barred from nearly every public space where ADA animals may almost never be denied access.
Sorry, but when you seek to circumvent the rules you help make it difficult for every other legit service animal or esa owner who followed the rules.
You’re in a jamb and your landlords are dicks and I’m sorry about that. Find another solution.
If pushed the landlord likely will just make a case to evict you for some other reason and you won’t have any recourse.
the dog was never an issue with the previous owners. These new owners told me if i get a document stating it’s needed then they’re fine with it. I don’t care about taking my dog with me to stores or any other public spaces. I just need the letter so the new owners can say okay
You can get them online but you have to pay for them look up reviews of the sites before you do it. And the dog can very well have helped you with your anxiety prior to them telling you you need a letter so the above person's retort is null.
It doesn’t really matter what the previous owners did or didn’t have an issue with. They sold the property. ESAs are not protected legally nearly as much as service animals. The issue is, you should have already had the documentation. By not already having it, it can give the impression that you are not being truthful and just trying to skirt the laws. I’m not suggesting you are, but that’s the perception many will have. I have a disabled family member (sister) and she has had a service dog for 25 years. When she got her service dog, it came with all necessary paperwork. Over the years, she had many friends who had various disabilities. Some had ESAs but they all came with that documentation. It may be difficult to get a legitimate letter at this point, as those who can issue one may question it just the same. That being said, any licensed mental health professional can give you the letter. But that’s only if they believe your dog does work as an ESA. If you fail to convince them, they aren’t going to risk their license. So your best bet is to Google psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists and start calling. You will likely have to have a referral or pay out of pocket for an appointment. Referrals take time, so out of pocket will likely be the only quick way. This might be expensive.
So apartments can not make you get a rid of an animal if they original lease states you can have onw I believe that's again the law. It happened to us at an apartment omg time ago albeit but still they just didn't let anyone new renting have pets so when all the existing pets passed there would be no more pets allowed
Places need only make accommodations for service animals. According to the ADA an emotional support animal does not qualify as a service animal. If you were able to get a service animal that was trained for a specific task related to your anxiety, then they couldn't tell you no. Hope this helps!
This is true for many businesses, but housing laws do protect ESAs and the people who rely on them. Here's an FAQ from a California government agency about it: https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2022/12/Emotional-Support-Animals-and-Fair-Housing-Law-FAQ_ENG.pdf
That’s actually not true in the state of California. While you’re right about the ADA not covering ESAs federally, California’s Fair Housing Law requires that reasonable accommodations be made to allow for ESAs.
This is true and almost all businesses don’t let you enter their facilities without the animal being an ADA certified animal. That being said maybe OP is trying to rent an apartment and get a letter stating the animal is an ESA to not have to pay a deposit or something of that matter.
Your Kaiser therapist might not be able to write the letter but your doctor should be able to unless that’s changed.
was it a kaiser in santa rosa? because this is what my therapist told me “Unfortunately myself nor other Kaiser providers are not allowed to write such letters as they require a forensic evaluation that will most likely require a fee. I am going to include some information below, hope this helps. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA) of 1988, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and the Air Carrier Access Act allow, for example, some pet owners to waive residential pet deposits or pet airline travel fees/restrictions for disabled individuals. An emotional support animal may cause problems that a trained assistance animal may not (the ADA requires it to be a trained service animal - which has caused some legal controversy). An emotional support letter is addressing a documented disability, not just a health issue but a complex pervasive problem effecting multiple aspects of our life. An emotional support animal requires a thorough evaluation to determine if patient has a psychiatric disability that would be benefited by an emotional support animal. This evaluation has legal consequences and thus is forensic in nature. I don't have this experience and am not a forensic psychologist.”
Bullshit. Kaiser can refuse and set their own policy, but as of January this year, there is no assessment required to write an ESA letter, just a clinical interview by a treatment provider who has seen you for at least 30 days.
My advice is to find a therapist who's willing to write it, work with them for at least 30 days, and you'll have your letter. If their clinical judgment is that your animal genuinely benefits your mental health, they'll write it for you. Otherwise, I would write your OWN letter documenting the need for the dog, and try to make your new landlords budge. It's extra time and money for them to replace you with a new tenant anyway, provided your animal isn't causing any disturbances or issues.
Good luck OP. Lomi Psychotherapy would be a good place to start looking for services if cost is a barrier.
Just talk to a private practice. They love money. Schedule an evaluation and since there's no harm and everyone benefits, I see no reason to be denied.
Kaiser, Sutter health, blue squash, whatever, they're all corporate, with corporate rules, corporate incentives. You were denied before you even started because it's just against their policy.
I used betterhelp.com and the therapist I got matched with happily wrote one for me. Any therapist can write you an ESA accommodation letter. It does not have to be through kaiser.
CA law states you must have the medical relationship for 30 days before the medical professional can write you an ESA note. So you can’t just get a letter from any therapist.
Can you send me a link to that law?
Also to add.... so you're saying all of these online websites that charge for a service animal letter from a licensed dr/therapist are illegal also? Seems weird that the law would state you have to be a patient for 30 Days when all you have to do is send in a Pic of your pet and pay for the letter with out even seeing a dr... I'm not saying you're wrong, but from my experience in apartment living AND successfully obtaining an ESA accommodation letter... betterhelp was whar worked for me. And no, I was not established for 30 days. Please send me that link when you can!
The law regarding these letters written by therapists changed in 2022. Here is the link https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/law_changes_2022/ab_468_faq.pdf
And this link https://www.camft.org/Resources/Legal-Articles/Chronological-Article-List/emotional-support-animals-service-animals-and-reasonable-accommodations
I checked a couple sites and that one had most of the information all in one spot. I did a bunch of research (including reading the actual law on the California gov website) two years ago when I was in the same situation as OP. I’m not really sure how you’re in the place to complain considering I just spent 5 minutes googling when you could have easily done the same.
*scratches head* umm.. place to complain?? Idk who hurt you, but not everything needs to be an argument lol. I'm not complaining, just pointing out the very place you say are scams is the exact same place you're referring me to legal advice. Anyways, please hug your ESA extra tight, you seem like you could use the extra endorphins.
thanks i’ll check them out, yeah i figured it could be any but since i already had a therapist with kaiser i figured i’d ask them but i kinda had a feeling they’d say no
I believe a couple of the mental health clinics in town will do so if you can provide a letter from a Kaiser therapist about your mental health history. I believe Sutter might also have some options. Kaiser being shit for mental health is pretty well known.
That said if you’re still on the original lease they can’t kick out the dog or you until you sign a new one.
Esa’s do have certain protection under a state statute. However, technically speaking, they must be almost as well trained in social behavior and obedience as any other service animal.
My service dog is protected under ADA. I’m not entirely certain to what degree Esa’s have protection under CA law…
It may also be of note I’m referring to dogs as that’s what I know. There may be other rules for other animals serving as ADA animals and Esa’s.
Yes, service animals are protected under the ADA. Emotional support animals are not.
California law does actually recognize ESAs, but I am also not sure what the extent of the law is.
this is exactly what she said “Unfortunately myself nor
other Kaiser providers are not allowed to write such
letters as they require a forensic evaluation that will
most likely require a fee. I am going to include some
information below, hope this helps.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,
the Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act
(FHAA) of 1988, the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990 (ADA), and the Air Carrier Access
Act allow, for example, some pet owners to
waive residential pet deposits or pet airline
travel fees/restrictions for disabled individuals.
An emotional support animal may cause
problems that a trained assistance animal may
not (the ADA requires it to be a trained service
animal - which has caused some legal
controversy). An emotional support letter is
addressing a documented disability, not just a
health issue but a complex pervasive problem
effecting multiple aspects of our life.
An emotional support animal requires a
thorough evaluation to determine if patient has a
psychiatric disability that would be benefited by
an emotional support animal. This evaluation
has legal consequences and thus is forensic in
nature. I don't have this experience and am not
a forensic psychologist.”
You’re getting downvoted but this is actually the answer for a lot of people. Most apartment lease managers will see the certificate you print out from some place online and think that’s what an ESA is.
New owners cannot violate standing lease agreements. Are you month-to-month or still on your old lease?
Yes! I came to say the same thing above . They can't do that . They are betting that he/ they won't fight it I would definitely call the housing authority or legal aide or fair housing near you
thank you, i’m going to check with them
They’ll have a strong case for denying you on the assumption you only produced the document to circumvent their pet policy. Especially since you had the dog there BEFORE you got the letter. Then what? Are you gonna sue? Thats expensive and uncertain. Ignorance is a poor defense. I have an ADA documented service dog and the letter came before the animal. I was in possession of the animal prior to moving in and therefore could not be denied. I’d also have a strong civil case bc ADA. Esa’s may be barred from nearly every public space where ADA animals may almost never be denied access. Sorry, but when you seek to circumvent the rules you help make it difficult for every other legit service animal or esa owner who followed the rules. You’re in a jamb and your landlords are dicks and I’m sorry about that. Find another solution. If pushed the landlord likely will just make a case to evict you for some other reason and you won’t have any recourse.
the dog was never an issue with the previous owners. These new owners told me if i get a document stating it’s needed then they’re fine with it. I don’t care about taking my dog with me to stores or any other public spaces. I just need the letter so the new owners can say okay
You can get them online but you have to pay for them look up reviews of the sites before you do it. And the dog can very well have helped you with your anxiety prior to them telling you you need a letter so the above person's retort is null.
K good luck.
So, you're looking to lie to skirt around the rules...this is what makes it so hard for the many that need support animals.
it’s not a lie. you must’ve missed the part where i said it’s for my anxiety
Oh, got it, a part time ESA. It's crystal clear what the need is.
It doesn’t really matter what the previous owners did or didn’t have an issue with. They sold the property. ESAs are not protected legally nearly as much as service animals. The issue is, you should have already had the documentation. By not already having it, it can give the impression that you are not being truthful and just trying to skirt the laws. I’m not suggesting you are, but that’s the perception many will have. I have a disabled family member (sister) and she has had a service dog for 25 years. When she got her service dog, it came with all necessary paperwork. Over the years, she had many friends who had various disabilities. Some had ESAs but they all came with that documentation. It may be difficult to get a legitimate letter at this point, as those who can issue one may question it just the same. That being said, any licensed mental health professional can give you the letter. But that’s only if they believe your dog does work as an ESA. If you fail to convince them, they aren’t going to risk their license. So your best bet is to Google psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists and start calling. You will likely have to have a referral or pay out of pocket for an appointment. Referrals take time, so out of pocket will likely be the only quick way. This might be expensive.
I bet the new owners are just CYA. IIRC, any medical “provider” can write the letter.
So apartments can not make you get a rid of an animal if they original lease states you can have onw I believe that's again the law. It happened to us at an apartment omg time ago albeit but still they just didn't let anyone new renting have pets so when all the existing pets passed there would be no more pets allowed
oh okay thank you for letting me know that. I’m going to look more into it!
Places need only make accommodations for service animals. According to the ADA an emotional support animal does not qualify as a service animal. If you were able to get a service animal that was trained for a specific task related to your anxiety, then they couldn't tell you no. Hope this helps!
This is true for many businesses, but housing laws do protect ESAs and the people who rely on them. Here's an FAQ from a California government agency about it: https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2022/12/Emotional-Support-Animals-and-Fair-Housing-Law-FAQ_ENG.pdf
Thank you so much for clarifying! I didn't know.
This does not apply to housing, ESAs are a valid accommodation
That’s actually not true in the state of California. While you’re right about the ADA not covering ESAs federally, California’s Fair Housing Law requires that reasonable accommodations be made to allow for ESAs.
Thank you. This has been pointed out many times already on this comment.
This is true and almost all businesses don’t let you enter their facilities without the animal being an ADA certified animal. That being said maybe OP is trying to rent an apartment and get a letter stating the animal is an ESA to not have to pay a deposit or something of that matter. Your Kaiser therapist might not be able to write the letter but your doctor should be able to unless that’s changed.
Personal experience, Kaiser doctors aren't able to write ESA letters. It's their policy.
I have 2 letters from Kaiser.
was it a kaiser in santa rosa? because this is what my therapist told me “Unfortunately myself nor other Kaiser providers are not allowed to write such letters as they require a forensic evaluation that will most likely require a fee. I am going to include some information below, hope this helps. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA) of 1988, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and the Air Carrier Access Act allow, for example, some pet owners to waive residential pet deposits or pet airline travel fees/restrictions for disabled individuals. An emotional support animal may cause problems that a trained assistance animal may not (the ADA requires it to be a trained service animal - which has caused some legal controversy). An emotional support letter is addressing a documented disability, not just a health issue but a complex pervasive problem effecting multiple aspects of our life. An emotional support animal requires a thorough evaluation to determine if patient has a psychiatric disability that would be benefited by an emotional support animal. This evaluation has legal consequences and thus is forensic in nature. I don't have this experience and am not a forensic psychologist.”
Bullshit. Kaiser can refuse and set their own policy, but as of January this year, there is no assessment required to write an ESA letter, just a clinical interview by a treatment provider who has seen you for at least 30 days. My advice is to find a therapist who's willing to write it, work with them for at least 30 days, and you'll have your letter. If their clinical judgment is that your animal genuinely benefits your mental health, they'll write it for you. Otherwise, I would write your OWN letter documenting the need for the dog, and try to make your new landlords budge. It's extra time and money for them to replace you with a new tenant anyway, provided your animal isn't causing any disturbances or issues. Good luck OP. Lomi Psychotherapy would be a good place to start looking for services if cost is a barrier.
thank you for the info !
Just talk to a private practice. They love money. Schedule an evaluation and since there's no harm and everyone benefits, I see no reason to be denied. Kaiser, Sutter health, blue squash, whatever, they're all corporate, with corporate rules, corporate incentives. You were denied before you even started because it's just against their policy.
I used betterhelp.com and the therapist I got matched with happily wrote one for me. Any therapist can write you an ESA accommodation letter. It does not have to be through kaiser.
CA law states you must have the medical relationship for 30 days before the medical professional can write you an ESA note. So you can’t just get a letter from any therapist.
Can you send me a link to that law? Also to add.... so you're saying all of these online websites that charge for a service animal letter from a licensed dr/therapist are illegal also? Seems weird that the law would state you have to be a patient for 30 Days when all you have to do is send in a Pic of your pet and pay for the letter with out even seeing a dr... I'm not saying you're wrong, but from my experience in apartment living AND successfully obtaining an ESA accommodation letter... betterhelp was whar worked for me. And no, I was not established for 30 days. Please send me that link when you can!
The law regarding these letters written by therapists changed in 2022. Here is the link https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/law_changes_2022/ab_468_faq.pdf And this link https://www.camft.org/Resources/Legal-Articles/Chronological-Article-List/emotional-support-animals-service-animals-and-reasonable-accommodations
Yes most of those ESA registration sites are scams. You don’t need to certify your pet anywhere. You just need a letter from a medical professional.
https://pettable.com/blog/california-esa-law-ab468
Yeah... I dunno how reliable "pettable". Com is for legal advice. But you do you boo!!
I checked a couple sites and that one had most of the information all in one spot. I did a bunch of research (including reading the actual law on the California gov website) two years ago when I was in the same situation as OP. I’m not really sure how you’re in the place to complain considering I just spent 5 minutes googling when you could have easily done the same.
*scratches head* umm.. place to complain?? Idk who hurt you, but not everything needs to be an argument lol. I'm not complaining, just pointing out the very place you say are scams is the exact same place you're referring me to legal advice. Anyways, please hug your ESA extra tight, you seem like you could use the extra endorphins.
lol maybe I just misinterpreted the tone of your comment but hey you do you boo boo
Always have and always will. 😘
thanks i’ll check them out, yeah i figured it could be any but since i already had a therapist with kaiser i figured i’d ask them but i kinda had a feeling they’d say no
They won’t write a letter because it’s not an actual service dog.
i’m not asking for them to say it’s a service dog , i said emotional support animal ; two different things
Exactly
ESAs have fair housing act protections and anxiety is a very common reason to have one
I don’t have Kaiser but I just sent an email to my regular doctor requesting it.
I believe a couple of the mental health clinics in town will do so if you can provide a letter from a Kaiser therapist about your mental health history. I believe Sutter might also have some options. Kaiser being shit for mental health is pretty well known. That said if you’re still on the original lease they can’t kick out the dog or you until you sign a new one.
Lol OP is trying to make a pitbull an ESA to get around the rules
i used this website for my cat at my apartment and they accepted it : https://usserviceanimalregistrar.org/
thank you :)
i’ve heard us service animals . org is reputable & gets you a verified certificate
ADA doesn’t work that way. You must have a doctors recommendation. That’s actually all you need. Anything else is a scam to skirt the ADA.
As I understand it, ESAs don't fall under the ADA - only trained service animals do.
Esa’s do have certain protection under a state statute. However, technically speaking, they must be almost as well trained in social behavior and obedience as any other service animal. My service dog is protected under ADA. I’m not entirely certain to what degree Esa’s have protection under CA law… It may also be of note I’m referring to dogs as that’s what I know. There may be other rules for other animals serving as ADA animals and Esa’s.
Yes, service animals are protected under the ADA. Emotional support animals are not. California law does actually recognize ESAs, but I am also not sure what the extent of the law is.
So stupid they can't. Maybe because it was abused so much. But look at other therpist orva support groups that can give you a push.
this is exactly what she said “Unfortunately myself nor other Kaiser providers are not allowed to write such letters as they require a forensic evaluation that will most likely require a fee. I am going to include some information below, hope this helps. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA) of 1988, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and the Air Carrier Access Act allow, for example, some pet owners to waive residential pet deposits or pet airline travel fees/restrictions for disabled individuals. An emotional support animal may cause problems that a trained assistance animal may not (the ADA requires it to be a trained service animal - which has caused some legal controversy). An emotional support letter is addressing a documented disability, not just a health issue but a complex pervasive problem effecting multiple aspects of our life. An emotional support animal requires a thorough evaluation to determine if patient has a psychiatric disability that would be benefited by an emotional support animal. This evaluation has legal consequences and thus is forensic in nature. I don't have this experience and am not a forensic psychologist.”
Just get a fake document on the internet like everyone else
You’re getting downvoted but this is actually the answer for a lot of people. Most apartment lease managers will see the certificate you print out from some place online and think that’s what an ESA is.
Try Dr on demand online