An ESA letter is a document that proves your need for an emotional support animal as part of treatment for a mental health condition. Issued individually, ESA letters allow you to keep an emotional support animal in your residence under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), regardless of landlord policies.
A legitimate ESA letter also exempts you from pet rent or deposits. It must be issued by a licensed mental health practitioner and include the patient’s name, date of birth, and confirmation of the qualifying mental health disorder, but not the diagnosis itself.
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Almost any type of pet can qualify as an emotional support animal as long as they provide comfort and support to their owner. Common ESAs include:
Although almost any animal can be an ESA, only dogs can be psychiatric support animals.
Licensed Mental Health Professionals — Verify that the provider connects you with a licensed mental health professional.
Live Consultation — A legitimate service requires a live consultation via phone or video.
Registry Fees — Avoid providers that offer to register your ESA for additional fees (outside of the cost for the legitimate letter from a certified professional), as there is no official ESA registry.
Money-Back Guarantee — Reputable providers often offer a money-back guarantee if your letter is not accepted.
Positive Reviews and Testimonials — Check reviews from other customers to gauge their experiences.
The general criteria is to have some emotional or psychological condition that is improved by having an animal that provides support. Conditions may include depression, generalized anxiety, paranoia, insomnia, and others. Only a licensed mental health professional is qualified to determine if you meet the criteria.
Pettable connects you with a licensed mental health professional for a consultation to determine if you qualify for an ESA.
An emotional support animal (ESA) provides support to individuals with mental or emotional disabilities. Unlike service animals, ESAs are not trained to perform specific tasks but offer comfort and support. They help their owners manage daily life tasks and have rights under state and federal laws.
Both provide relief for mental or emotional disabilities, but only Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSDs) require specific training to perform tasks that alleviate symptoms. ESA letters do not necessitate training standards.
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An emotional support animal provides comfort to help relieve a symptom or effect related to a person's disability. Also, there is no animal or breed restrictions for ESA's as long as it is reasonable and justified.
Note that being an emotional support animal is not the same as being a service animal (like seeing-eye dogs). These types of animals have stricter criteria that must be met, including different forms of training such as obedience, public access and disability training. These additional trainings are necessary since service dogs have public access and travel rights, unlike emotional support animals who are only protected under housing rights.
ESA's do not have public access or travel rights, so it's best to check with individual business guidelines to see if they allow ESA's. Additionally, you can train your dog to become a PSD (psychiatric service dog) in order to have public access and travel rights.
The general criteria is to have some emotional or psychological condition that is improved by having an animal that provides support. Conditions may include depression, generalized anxiety, paranoia, insomnia, and others. And remember, Emotional Support Animals do not require special training!
Only a licensed mental health professional is qualified to determine if you meet the criteria. Through our service, you can speak directly with a qualified mental health professional in the state where you reside. Pettable connects you with a licensed mental health professional for a consultation to determine if you qualify for an ESA. Unlike, some less legitimate services, we do not provide letters for fee, but instead we connect you to a professional for an honest evaluation.
Step 1: Once payment is submitted and your appointment is scheduled through our website, you will receive an email to activate your account.
Step 2: Once your account is activated, the process will prompt you to fill out the required forms to give more information to your clinician before your scheduled appointment.
Step 3: Your assigned clinician will call you at your scheduled appointment time and will let you know if you have qualified. If you've qualified, your clinician will upload your letter in your portal for you to view and print.
If for any reason you are not approved we will refund your entire purchase.
When you take our quiz we collect information to match you with a therapist that has experience with your case and can meet your specific needs.
Additionally, to our knowledge, Pettable is the only provider that offers a full Money Back Guarantee - meaning if you do not qualify for a letter after your consultation or your landlord does not accept it after filing a complaint with the HUD, then we’ll refund 100% of your purchase.
We have experience with every kind of ESA situation - multiple pets, breed restrictions, weight/size restrictions, traveling across state lines, immediate turnaround, etc. We are confident we can help you with your specific ESA needs and if we can't, we will refund your money 100%. See our Money Back Guarantee FAQ for more information.
Our Emotional Support Animal (ESA) Letters are fully compliant with the Fair Housing Act. These are the two primary laws the dictate the terms by which individuals like you may leverage an ESA Letter for mental health purposes and live with a designated emotional support animal in situations where you otherwise would not be able to.
We employ a vetted network of licensed and qualified mental health professionals who possess the credentials necessary to write a certified ESA Letter.
Our website is also HIPAA Compliant, ensuring that your information is protected according to nationally mandated federal law.
