How to Get an ESA Letter in 2026: 7 Steps + Free Housing Request Templates

What You Should Know About the 2026 ESA Rules

You may find older websites telling you to follow HUD’s 2020 document known as FHEO Notice 2020-01.

That information needs an important update.

On September 17, 2025, HUD officially withdrew FHEO Notice 2020-01 along with several other guidance documents. You therefore should not treat that 2020 notice as current HUD guidance.

That withdrawal did not eliminate the Fair Housing Act’s reasonable-accommodation requirement.

HUD’s current assistance-animal page continues to state that an assistance animal may provide emotional support that alleviates one or more identified effects of a disability. HUD also states that you may request an assistance animal as a reasonable accommodation to housing pet restrictions.

Federal regulations separately provide that refusing a reasonable accommodation may be unlawful when the accommodation is necessary to give you an equal opportunity to use and enjoy your dwelling.

This distinction matters because you should focus your request on the underlying Fair Housing Act reasonable accommodation, rather than relying on an outdated checklist from the withdrawn 2020 notice.

What Is an Emotional Support Animal Letter?

An ESA letter is generally documentation supporting your disability-related need for an animal that provides emotional support.

The document is most commonly used when you need a housing provider to make an exception to a pet-related rule because of your disability.

For example, you may live in:

• An apartment with a no-pets policy
• A building that normally charges monthly pet rent
• Housing that requires a pet deposit
• Housing with other pet restrictions

Your ESA accommodation request is not simply a request for permission to own a pet.

You are asking for a reasonable accommodation because of a disability-related need.

HUD currently describes an assistance animal as an animal that works, provides assistance, performs tasks, or provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified effects of a person’s disability. HUD also states that an assistance animal is not considered a pet for this purpose.

If you are reviewing your lease before making the request, Lease Agreement Letter Templates and Writing Tips can help you organize the important housing information you need.

How You Can Determine Whether an ESA May Be Appropriate

You should not start with the question:

“Where can I buy an ESA letter?”

You should start with:

“Do I have a disability-related need for the emotional support this animal provides?”

For federal fair housing purposes, the issue is generally whether you have a qualifying disability and whether there is a connection between that disability and the accommodation you are requesting.

The HUD-DOJ reasonable accommodation materials explain that there needs to be an identifiable relationship between the requested accommodation and your disability.

You therefore should be prepared to discuss:

• The limitations you experience
• How those limitations affect important areas of your daily life
• How your animal helps alleviate effects related to your disability
• Why keeping the animal in your home is connected to your ability to use and enjoy your housing

You do not need to diagnose yourself.

Your healthcare professional should independently evaluate whether your situation supports the documentation you are requesting.

Step 1: Identify Why You Need the Emotional Support Animal

Before you contact a healthcare provider, write down why you believe the animal helps you.

You do not need to create an elaborate medical argument.

Instead, think about the functional effect.

For example, you might explain that your animal’s presence helps reduce or alleviate disability-related symptoms that interfere with your ability to function in your home.

Your goal is not to tell your provider what diagnosis to make or what letter to write.

Your goal is to explain your actual experience accurately so your provider can make an independent professional judgment.

If you have previous medical information that may be relevant, use How to Get Medical Records Step by Step before your appointment.

Step 2: Speak With an Appropriate Healthcare Professional

Your next step is to speak with a healthcare or mental health professional who can properly evaluate you.

Depending on your circumstances and applicable state law, this might include an appropriately licensed or otherwise authorized:

• Physician
• Psychiatrist
• Psychologist
• Licensed clinical social worker
• Licensed professional counselor
• Therapist
• Other qualified healthcare professional

Do not assume that every professional can issue ESA documentation in every state or under every circumstance.

Licensing, telehealth, professional-relationship, and documentation requirements can vary by state.

Before paying anyone, verify that the professional is legally authorized to provide the type of care involved in your situation.

Step 3: Ask for an Evaluation, Not a Guaranteed Letter

A legitimate provider should not promise you an ESA letter before evaluating your circumstances.

This is an important warning sign.

You can say:

“I would like to discuss whether an emotional support animal may be appropriate for my disability-related needs and whether you would be comfortable providing documentation for a housing accommodation.”

That wording gives your healthcare professional room to make an independent decision.

You should be cautious if a website tells you:

• “Everyone qualifies.”
• “Guaranteed ESA approval.”
• “Instant ESA certification.”
• “No evaluation required.”
• “Answer five questions and receive your letter in five minutes.”
• “Lifetime ESA registration.”
• “Federal ESA license included.”

Those claims can confuse registration products with the disability-related documentation that may actually matter in a housing accommodation request.

Step 4: Discuss How the Animal Relates to Your Disability

During your evaluation, explain the practical relationship between your condition and your animal.

Your provider may ask questions about:

• Your symptoms
• How long you have experienced them
• How they affect daily activities
• Previous or current treatment
• Your living environment
• How your animal helps you
• Whether the animal’s support is connected to your disability-related limitations

Answer truthfully.

Do not exaggerate your symptoms simply because you believe stronger language will produce a stronger ESA letter.

Your documentation should accurately reflect your situation.

Step 5: Make Sure Your ESA Letter Contains Useful Information

There is no single federal form called the “Official ESA Letter.”

However, useful documentation generally needs to give your housing provider enough reliable disability-related information to evaluate the requested accommodation when that information is not already apparent.

HUD’s current assistance-animal page states that a housing request may need to be supported by reliable disability-related information when both the disability and disability-related need for the animal are not apparent and the housing provider requests that information.

Depending on your circumstances, your provider’s documentation may identify:

• Your provider’s name
• Professional credentials
• Practice information
• Applicable license or authorization information
• The date of the letter
• That you have a disability relevant to the housing accommodation
• That you have a disability-related need for the animal
• That the animal provides support connected to the effects of your disability
• The provider’s signature
• Appropriate contact information for verification

Your provider generally does not need to turn the letter into your complete medical history.

HUD and DOJ materials state that detailed information concerning the nature of your disability is generally unnecessary when reliable disability-related information is sufficient to evaluate the accommodation request.

If you need to authorize your provider to send information elsewhere, review How to Get a Medical Release Form.

What You Can Send Your Provider When Requesting an ESA Evaluation

You can use the following message when contacting a provider.

Sample Request to Discuss an ESA Letter

Subject: Request to Discuss Emotional Support Animal Documentation

Dear [Provider’s Name],

I am writing to ask whether we can discuss my disability-related need for an emotional support animal.

My animal provides emotional support that helps me manage difficulties related to my condition while I am at home. My housing provider may require reliable documentation supporting my request for a reasonable accommodation to its pet rules.

I understand that you must independently determine whether an emotional support animal is appropriate for my situation. I am not asking you to provide documentation without an evaluation.

Please let me know whether you can discuss this during my next appointment or whether I should schedule a separate evaluation.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Phone Number]
[Email Address]

Step 6: Submit Your ESA Housing Accommodation Request

Getting documentation from your healthcare provider is only part of the process.

You also need to request the accommodation from your landlord, property manager, housing authority, condominium association, or other applicable housing provider.

The federal reasonable-accommodation rules do not generally require you to use magic words such as “Fair Housing Act reasonable accommodation.”

However, putting your request in writing can help you document exactly what you requested and when you requested it. HUD and DOJ materials specifically note that written requests can help prevent misunderstandings.

Your request should be simple.

Explain:

1. You are requesting a reasonable accommodation because of a disability.
2. You need to keep an assistance animal in your housing.
3. The animal provides disability-related emotional support.
4. You are asking for an exception to the applicable pet restriction.
5. You are attaching supporting documentation when appropriate.
6. You would like written confirmation of the decision.

Sample ESA Reasonable Accommodation Letter to Your Landlord

[Your Name]
[Your Address and Unit Number]
[City, State ZIP]
[Phone Number]
[Email Address]

[Date]

[Landlord or Property Manager Name]
[Management Company]
[Address]
[City, State ZIP]

Subject: Request for Reasonable Accommodation for Assistance Animal

Dear [Landlord or Property Manager Name]:

I am writing to request a reasonable accommodation related to a disability.

Because of my disability-related needs, I use an emotional support animal that provides support that helps alleviate the effects of my disability.

I am requesting permission to keep my assistance animal in my residence at [address and unit number] as a reasonable accommodation to the property’s [no-pet policy / pet restriction / pet fee / other applicable rule].

I have attached supporting disability-related documentation for your review, where applicable.

Please confirm receipt of this request and let me know if you require additional information that is reasonably necessary to evaluate the accommodation.

I respectfully request written confirmation when a decision has been made.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

What Your Landlord May Ask You to Provide

Your housing provider’s ability to request disability-related documentation depends on what is already apparent or known.

HUD’s current assistance-animal page states that reliable disability-related information may be requested when your disability and your disability-related need for the animal are not apparent.

HUD and DOJ materials similarly explain that when your disability and need for an accommodation are obvious, additional disability documentation generally should not be necessary. When one or both are not apparent, information necessary to evaluate your request may be requested.

That does not mean you should automatically hand over your entire medical record.

Your documentation should focus on what is reasonably necessary to establish:

• Your qualifying disability when necessary
• The accommodation you need
• The connection between your disability and the requested accommodation

If you ever need copies of records for a separate purpose, How to Write a Medical Records Request Letter explains how you can request only the records you actually need.

Can Your Landlord Charge You Pet Rent or an ESA Deposit?

An assistance animal is treated differently from an ordinary pet when it is part of an approved reasonable accommodation.

HUD’s current assistance-animal page specifically lists a request to waive a pet deposit, fee, or other pet rule as an example of an assistance-animal reasonable accommodation.

The HUD-DOJ reasonable-accommodation materials also state that a housing provider may not require you to pay an extra fee or additional deposit as a condition of granting a reasonable accommodation.

That does not give you permission to allow your animal to damage the property.

If your animal causes actual damage, you may remain responsible for repair costs under the same type of rules used to hold other residents responsible for damage they cause.

Can Your Landlord Deny Your ESA Request?

An ESA request is not automatically approved simply because you submit a letter.

HUD’s current information identifies circumstances in which a housing provider may not have to grant a requested assistance-animal accommodation.

For example, a provider may potentially demonstrate that the accommodation would:

• Create an undue financial and administrative burden
• Fundamentally alter the essential nature of the housing provider’s operations
• Involve a specific animal that poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others when another reasonable accommodation cannot sufficiently reduce that threat
• Involve a specific animal likely to cause significant physical property damage that another reasonable accommodation cannot sufficiently reduce

These determinations should involve your actual circumstances rather than simply labeling every animal of a certain type as dangerous.

The underlying Fair Housing Act regulation also states that a reasonable accommodation may be required when necessary to give you an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.

If your housing problem is also creating a financial hardship, Medical Hardship Letter Samples may help you separate your financial request from your ESA accommodation request.

What You Should Do If Your ESA Request Is Denied

Do not immediately assume that every denial violates federal law.

First, ask for the reason in writing.

Then compare the reason with:

• What you requested
• What documentation you supplied
• Whether your disability-related need was adequately explained
• Whether additional reasonable information was requested
• Whether your housing may fall within an exception
• Whether state or local laws give you additional protections

You may be able to resolve missing documentation without turning the situation into a larger dispute.

If you believe you were unlawfully denied a reasonable accommodation, HUD currently states that you may file a housing discrimination complaint with its Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

Federal enforcement remains active. For example, in July 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a settlement involving allegations that a housing authority had refused to accommodate a minor tenant who needed an emotional support dog.

Why You Should Not Buy an “ESA Registration” and Assume You Are Protected

You should distinguish between three completely different items:

1. An ESA Letter

This is disability-related documentation supporting your need for the animal when documentation is appropriate.

2. An ESA Registration

This is usually an entry in a private company’s database.

Registering an animal does not, by itself, establish that you have a qualifying disability or disability-related need for the animal.

3. An ESA Certificate, ID Card, Tag, or Vest

These may look official, but appearance does not determine your rights under federal housing law.

The important issue is the legitimate disability-related need for the accommodation, not whether your animal has an impressive-looking identification card.

You therefore should be skeptical of companies whose main selling point is a certificate, registration number, vest, badge, or laminated ID.

Your ESA Is Not Automatically a Service Animal

This is one of the most important distinctions you should understand.

Under the ADA, a service animal is generally a dog individually trained to perform work or tasks directly related to a person’s disability.

An animal whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support does not qualify as a service animal under the ADA.

For example:

If your dog’s presence makes you feel calmer, that may potentially be relevant to an emotional support animal accommodation.

If your dog is individually trained to recognize an approaching psychiatric episode and perform a specific action to help you, the analysis may instead involve a psychiatric service dog.

The difference is not whether your disability is physical or psychiatric.

The key ADA difference is whether the dog is individually trained to perform disability-related work or tasks.

Can You Take Your ESA Into Restaurants and Stores?

Your ESA letter does not automatically give your animal access to restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, retail stores, entertainment venues, or other public places covered by the ADA.

Under federal ADA rules, emotional support or comfort alone does not make an animal a service animal.

State or local laws may sometimes provide different or additional rights, so you should check the rules where you live or travel.

You should never tell a business that your animal is a trained service animal when the animal is only an emotional support animal.

Can You Fly With Your ESA for Free?

You should not assume that an ESA letter allows your animal to fly in the aircraft cabin as a service animal.

Current U.S. Department of Transportation rules define a service animal for air travel as a dog individually trained to perform work or tasks for a qualified person with a disability.

DOT specifically states that emotional support animals, comfort animals, and companionship animals are not service animals for purposes of these federal air-travel rules.

Airlines may therefore treat your emotional support animal as a pet and apply the airline’s pet rules and applicable fees.

If your dog is actually trained to perform disability-related tasks, you may need to investigate the separate rules for a psychiatric service dog.

Does Your ESA Need Special Training?

An emotional support animal and an ADA service animal serve different functions.

A service animal must be individually trained to perform disability-related work or tasks under the ADA.

An emotional support animal’s role can involve emotional support rather than specially trained work.

However, that does not mean you can ignore your animal’s behavior.

You remain responsible for:

• Keeping your animal under appropriate control
• Following legitimate health and safety requirements
• Preventing unnecessary property damage
• Cleaning up after your animal
• Preventing unreasonable disturbances
• Following generally applicable rules that do not conflict with your approved accommodation

Your accommodation protects your disability-related need for the animal. It does not give you unlimited permission to ignore legitimate responsibilities as a resident.

How Long Is Your ESA Letter Valid?

You should be cautious whenever a website claims that every ESA letter automatically expires after exactly one year or, at the opposite extreme, that every ESA document is valid forever.

Federal fair housing law does not establish a simple universal expiration date for every piece of ESA documentation.

Your circumstances may change, your provider’s professional relationship with you may change, state rules may impose additional requirements, or a housing provider may have a legitimate reason to request updated information depending on the circumstances.

If your housing provider asks for updated documentation, ask what information is needed and why.

Then speak with your healthcare provider rather than automatically buying a replacement letter online.

Can You Get an ESA Letter Online?

Telehealth can sometimes be a legitimate way for you to receive healthcare.

However, the fact that a service operates online does not automatically make an ESA letter legitimate.

Before using an online provider, check:

1. Who will actually evaluate you?
2. Is that person appropriately licensed or otherwise authorized to provide care applicable to your location?
3. Will you have a genuine clinical interaction?
4. Can you verify the provider’s professional credentials?
5. Does the provider independently decide whether documentation is appropriate?
6. Does the company guarantee approval before evaluating you?
7. Is the company primarily selling healthcare services or primarily selling certificates, registrations, ID cards, and vests?
8. Are there additional state requirements that apply to your situation?

A legitimate telehealth evaluation and an instant “ESA certification website” are not necessarily the same thing.

Red Flags You Should Avoid When Shopping for ESA Services

You should stop and investigate further if a company advertises:

• Guaranteed ESA letters
• Automatic approval
• No consultation
• No healthcare evaluation
• Lifetime federal registration
• Government ESA registration
• Official federal ESA certificates
• A federal ESA identification number
• Instant qualification after answering a few questions
• A vest or ID card as proof of your legal status
• Guaranteed landlord approval
• Guaranteed airline access

Federal law focuses on your disability-related accommodation needs, not a private company’s registration package.