Emotional Support Animal FAQ
What is an Emotional Support Animal?
Made official by an ESA letter written by a licensed mental health professional, an emotional support animal requires no special training to complete its work. Its very presence provides companionship and comfort, thus helping an individual to cope with an emotional or mental disability. According to the Federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) and Indiana state law, to receive an ESA letter for housing, you must have at least one session with a therapist before the appointment in which you will be assessed for the need of an emotional support animal. Once it is determined that your symptoms and condition qualify you for an ESA, you will receive a valid ESA letter for housing.
Does my existing Pet count as my Emotional Support Animal?
An emotional support animal can be any breed or species as long as it supports an emotional or psychological condition. Keep in mind that emotional support animals must still comply with local laws about keeping specific exotic animals. Please review state laws regarding captive animals before requesting an ESA.
What is the difference between an Emotional Support Animal and a Service Animal?
An emotional support animal provides comfort to help relieve a symptom or effect related to a person's disability. Black Orchid Counseling only provides documentation for Emotional Support Animals (ESA). We do not provide any documents for Service Animals or Psychiatric Animals. Being an emotional support animal is not the same as being a service animal. These types of animals have stricter criteria that must be met, including different forms of training and ongoing certifications and some breed or animal type restrictions. These animals must also wear identifying garments in some instances, so they can't be confused for an emotional support animal. Emotional support animals and service animals both offer support to individuals with disabilities, and both are protected under federal law and Indiana state law. However, these types of assistance animals are held to different standards of training. Service animals are trained to perform specific tasks to help their owners live with their disabilities. They can provide assistance for both physical and mental impairments. Emotional support animals do not need to undergo this kind of training, and they can only provide help for emotional and mental health conditions, not physical ones.
My Landlord denied my ESA Letter - What should I do?
Once you have a formal ESA Letter, your landlord is required by the Fair Housing Act to allow you to keep your designated emotional support animal with you at your place of residence. If your landlord has additional questions about a letter you received from Black Orchid Counseling, you can refer them to me so that we can explore this further. If your landlord refuses to accept your ESA letter, you will be refunded in full by Black Orchid Counseling, LLC AFTER you file a formal complaint with United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Do I need to renew my letter?
Although the Fair Housing Act and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development does not specify guidance around the issue of ESA letter expiration, I recommend that you renew your ESA letter annually for a few reasons:
Clinicians may not validate or renew an ESA letter that is expired in the event a landlord or property manager reaches out to verify. An annual consultation with a therapist to discuss your needs for an ESA letter is advised in order to keep licensed professional recommendations current.
Landlords or property managers may refuse to accept an ESA letter that is dated outside of your leasing agreement. Renewing your letter enables you to provide current documentation that verifies your need for an emotional support animal as still relevant.
More Questions? Check out this additional information here:
https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/assistance_animals
https://fairhousinginstitute.com/fair-housing-act-emotional-support-animals/