Emotional Support Animal Registration and Letters

This is the biggest one! There is absolutely ZERO requirement to register your emotional support animal. Companies that do so are almost always perpetuating a scam. Somewhere on their site (in tiny print) you will find a disclaimer saying that registering your dog or animal does not make it a service or support animal. The ONLY requirement is that a Licensed Mental Health Professional or Doctor assess your condition and write a recommendation letter for you if you qualify.

This one usually goes along with the fake emotional support animal registration sites. They will often allow you to register your animal at low cost if you buy a vest or other items. A vest is absolutely NOT required or even mentioned in the Fair Housing Act, Air Carrier Access Act or Americans with Disabilities Act (more on these later) in the portions of the legislation relating to Emotional Support Animals.

Again, this one goes along with the fake registration sites. In order to make themselves appear legit, they often produce cards for your animal with an official looking logo or image. Airlines know these aren't legitimate and landlords do to, or will soon. The difficult thing with these is that some of the legitimate sites are offering them as well.

I actually made it a point to do extensive research into multiple sites despite already having a recommendation letter from my personal therapist. My question was pretty basic, "Which of these sites were legit for recommending an emotional support animal and which were not?"
Here was my process:

1) Check review ratings on 3rd party review sites (Google, Yelp, TrustPilot, ShopperApproved).

2) Verify the company was registered with the BBB and had an A rating or higher.

3) At that point I removed any sites that were offering registration options (my therapist informed me there was no recognized national registry and registration was not a requirement) as they were likely scams at worst and disingenuous at best.

4) I called the remaining sites and asked questions I thought was pertinent regarding the process, verifying the therapists, the criteria for approval and coverage throughout the US (if your therapist isn't licensed in your state your recommendation letter is invalid).

---My recommendation is to use CertaPet. They were unbelievably professional and courteous in their assistance despite my telling them I wasn't in need of a ESA Letter at this point. *Update - I did end up using them when my previous letter expired. My schedule was packed and I wasn't able to get into my usual therapist and she wouldn't write an updated recommendation without a scheduled appointment. It went PERFECTLY!

The ACAA outlines the requirements of what the airlines can and can't do. They CANNOT: 1) Charge an additional fee 2) Except for safety reasons, they can't deny your animal on the plane. They CAN: 1) Require you notify them in advance to adhere to their policies 2) Require you to provide a letter from a Licensed Mental Health Professional or Doctor on office letterhead.

The FHA, like the ACAA, defines what a landlord or housing authority can and can't regarding people with Emotional Support Animals. They CANNOT: 1) Charge an additional fee or pet deposit 2) Refuse to rent to you simply because you have an ESA. They CAN: 1) Charge you for any damage your animal is responsible for 2) Evict you if your animal acts in a vicious or threatening manner 3) Require you to provide a letter from a Licensed Mental Health Professional or Doctor on office letterhead.

The ADA does a few things. First, it clearly spells out the differences between Emotional Support Animals, Service Animals and Therapy Animals. Second, it provides protection from housing discrimination (like the Fair Housing Act). Third, it protects individuals from additional fees for reasonable accommodations defined in the ADA.

Many states have passed specific legislation regarding the access and the rights granted to these special animals. While it would not be possible to go through the differences in all 50 states in this overview, it is important to recognize that the rights afforded to an ESA may vary depending on location. Please search for the rights associated with your particular state for more information.

There are legal protections for people needing an Emotional Support Dog or Emotional Support Cat.

These protections are not as extensive as they are for other types of Service Animals.

You need to educate yourself on your rights, because landlords (and even airlines) don't always know them.