The ESA letter is half of the conversation with your landlord. The other half is the written reasonable accommodation request that you submit alongside it. The letter establishes the clinical predicate; the request triggers the landlord's obligation under the Fair Housing Act to engage in the interactive process of considering and responding to your accommodation.
A surprising number of fair-housing cases turn on whether a written request was made at all. A verbal "hey, my doctor wrote me a letter, can my dog stay" conversation in the leasing office is not technically a reasonable accommodation request -- and in some unhelpful landlord situations, the absence of a written record is what a denied tenant later regrets. A short, clear, written request creates a paper trail, anchors the timeline for the landlord's response, and is taken more seriously than a verbal ask.
This post walks through what to include, gives a template you can adapt, and addresses the most common questions about how to actually deliver and follow up on the request.
I am Jezwah Harris -- nurse practitioner, lawyer, and founder of Veritas. The accommodation-request question is in the top five things patients ask after they receive their letter. Here is how to do it well.
What the FHA actually requires
The Fair Housing Act (42 USC 3604(f)(3)(B)) requires housing providers to make "reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services, when such accommodations may be necessary to afford [a person with a handicap] equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling." HUD's FHEO-2020-01 explains how this works for assistance animals specifically.
The statute and the guidance establish a few key points:
- The request can be informal. There is no required form. A clear written statement is enough.
- The landlord must engage in the "interactive process" -- considering the request, asking only for information they are allowed to ask for, and responding within a reasonable time.
- The landlord can only ask for documentation when the disability is not readily apparent. They cannot ask for the specific diagnosis, detailed medical records, or proof of training.
- The accommodation includes waiver of pet fees, deposits, and pet rent (we cover this in Pet Deposits and ESA Letters).
- The landlord may deny the request only if the specific animal would impose an undue financial or administrative burden, or pose a direct threat to others' health or safety based on the actual conduct of the specific animal.
What to include in the request
A complete reasonable accommodation request has six elements.
1. Identification of the request as a reasonable accommodation request
Use the words. "I am writing to request a reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Act." This single line is what triggers the landlord's formal obligations. A request that does not name itself as such is sometimes treated by landlords as a casual inquiry rather than a formal request -- which can later affect both the landlord's deadlines and your remedies if denied.
2. Your information and your unit
Your full name as it appears on the lease, the unit number, the building address, and the lease term. The landlord needs this to match the request to the right tenant file.
3. A statement that you have a disability under the FHA
You do not need to disclose the specific diagnosis. You should state that you have a disability under the Fair Housing Act -- a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities (42 USC 3602(h)). The clinician's letter is the supporting documentation.
4. The specific accommodation requested
State plainly what you want. For an emotional support animal, the standard list is:
- Permission to keep the assistance animal in the unit.
- Waiver of any pet rules in the lease that would prohibit the animal (no-pet policy, breed restriction, weight restriction, species restriction).
- Waiver of pet deposits, pet fees, pet rent, or other charges that would otherwise apply.
If your situation has additional specifics (e.g., you are signing a new lease and want the accommodation in place at signing rather than midstream), say so.
5. Reference to the supporting documentation
Identify the ESA letter and attach it to the request. The standard phrasing: "Attached please find a letter from [clinician name], a licensed [credential], confirming that I have a disability under the FHA and that the assistance animal is part of the support plan for my disability."
6. Your contact information and a request for a written response
Include your email and phone, and ask for a written response within a reasonable time (10 business days is a common ask). The request for written response anchors the paper trail.
A template you can adapt
You can copy the structure below and fill in the bracketed parts.
Subject: Reasonable Accommodation Request -- Assistance Animal -- [Unit Number]
[Date]
[Landlord or Property Manager Name] [Property Management Company] [Address]
Re: Reasonable Accommodation Request -- Unit [Unit Number], [Property Name]
Dear [Landlord / Property Manager Name]:
I am writing to request a reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Act, 42 USC 3601 et seq., and HUD's Notice on Assistance Animals (FHEO-2020-01).
I am a tenant at [Property Name], Unit [Unit Number], [Property Address]. My current lease term is [Start Date] through [End Date].
I have a disability as defined by the Fair Housing Act -- a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Attached to this request is a letter from [Clinician Name], a licensed [Credential] in [State], confirming my disability and confirming that an emotional support animal is part of the support plan for my disability.
The reasonable accommodation I am requesting is:
- Permission to keep my assistance animal, [Animal Name / Description], in my unit, notwithstanding any provision of the lease or building policy that would otherwise restrict pets, breeds, weights, or species.
- Waiver of any pet deposit, pet fee, pet rent, or other charge tied to the animal, consistent with HUD FHEO-2020-01.
- Confirmation in writing that the accommodation has been granted.
I am happy to provide reasonable additional information if needed within the limits permitted by HUD guidance. As a reminder of those limits, the landlord may verify the licensure of the supporting clinician but may not require disclosure of my specific diagnosis or detailed medical records.
I would appreciate a written response within 10 business days. If you have questions, please contact me at [Email] or [Phone].
Thank you for your prompt attention to this request.
Sincerely,
[Your Name] [Email] [Phone]
Attachment: ESA documentation letter from [Clinician Name], dated [Letter Date]
What to leave out
A few things people are tempted to include that are better left out.
- Your specific diagnosis. Do not put it in the letter. The landlord may not require it. Including it gratuitously creates a record they did not ask for and that you did not need to provide.
- Detailed clinical narrative. "I have struggled with anxiety for ten years and the dog helps me get out of bed in the morning" is more than the landlord needs and more than HUD allows them to ask for. The clinician's letter is the clinical documentation; your accommodation request is the legal request.
- Apologetic or pleading language. This is a request for an accommodation you are entitled to under federal law. It is not a favor. Polite, professional, and direct is the right register.
- Threats or escalation language in the first request. "If you do not grant this I will file a HUD complaint" is rarely productive in the first letter. Save the escalation language for the follow-up if the first request is ignored or denied. A first request that anticipates conflict often produces it.
How to deliver it
A few practical points.
Email is fine, but use a method that creates a record
Email is the most common delivery channel. It creates a timestamp and a written record. Send to the property manager's standard address. CC yourself or your lawyer if applicable.
If the landlord prefers paper, certified mail with a return receipt is the gold standard for important communications. Save the receipt.
In-person hand-delivery is acceptable if you also follow up with an email summarizing the request and confirming receipt.
Keep a complete copy
Save a copy of the email or letter and the attached documentation. If the request is denied or ignored and you later file a HUD or state-agency complaint, your complete record is what supports your case.
Do not deliver without the supporting letter
The landlord cannot evaluate the accommodation request without the supporting documentation. Sending a request that says "letter to follow" gives the landlord a reason to delay. Wait until you have the ESA letter in hand, then deliver them together.
What happens after you send it
There is no statutory deadline by which the landlord must respond. HUD guidance speaks of a "reasonable time," and complaint adjudications have generally treated 10 to 14 business days as the outside edge of reasonable for most requests. In practice:
- Same-day or next-day acknowledgment. Common for landlords with sophisticated property management. They often say "received, will follow up shortly."
- One to two weeks. Most landlords respond within this window with either approval, denial, or a request for additional permitted information.
- Three weeks or more. Becomes problematic. After 14 business days with no response, a polite follow-up is appropriate.
If the landlord asks for additional information, the question is whether the request is permissible under HUD guidance. Permissible: "Can I verify the clinician's license?" "Is the documentation less than 12 months old?" Not permissible: "What is your specific diagnosis?" "Can you send your medical records?"
If the landlord makes a request that is not permissible, you can decline and reference the HUD guidance. A polite line like "Under HUD FHEO-2020-01, the landlord may not require disclosure of the specific diagnosis. The clinician's letter confirms that I have a disability and that the assistance animal is part of the support plan, which is what HUD guidance permits the landlord to ask for. Please confirm whether the documentation is sufficient."
What if the landlord ignores the request
After 14 business days with no response, send a polite follow-up. Reference your original request, note that you have not received a response, and ask again for written confirmation within a stated timeframe (5 business days is reasonable for the follow-up).
If the second request is also ignored, the conduct is increasingly suggestive of a denial through inaction. Document the timeline and consider a formal complaint. We walk through the denial scenario in Your Landlord Said No to Your ESA Letter.
What if the landlord denies the request
A landlord may only deny a reasonable accommodation request for an assistance animal under specific circumstances:
- The accommodation would impose an undue financial or administrative burden on the landlord.
- The specific animal would pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others, based on the actual conduct of the animal -- not on breed, size, or species in the abstract.
- Granting the accommodation would fundamentally alter the nature of the housing.
These are narrow exceptions. A "we just do not allow pets here" response is not a permissible denial -- the entire point of the accommodation is that the animal is not a pet for FHA purposes.
If the request is denied, you can:
- File a complaint with HUD at hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/online-complaint.
- File with your state fair-housing agency. Each state has one; HUD maintains a list.
- Consult a fair-housing attorney. Many will offer a brief case review at no charge or refer you to legal aid.
The deadline for HUD complaints is one year from the date of the alleged discrimination. State deadlines vary.
A few common scenarios
"I am signing a new lease in two weeks. Should I include the accommodation request with the lease packet?"
Yes. The cleanest path is to submit the accommodation request before signing, so the lease can be amended to reflect the accommodation (or the landlord can decline, in which case you have time to evaluate alternatives). Submitting the request alongside the lease packet, in writing, with the supporting letter, is good practice.
"My lease is mid-term. Do I still submit a request the same way?"
Yes. The accommodation request is independent of the lease cycle. Submit at any time when you have the documentation in hand and the housing situation requires it.
"My landlord said the documentation has to be on a specific form. Is that legal?"
Generally no. HUD guidance does not require any specific form, and a landlord cannot impose form requirements that exceed what HUD permits. If the landlord's "form" asks for the diagnosis, detailed medical records, or other prohibited information, you can submit your own documentation referencing FHEO-2020-01 instead.
"The lease has a clause that says ESA accommodations require landlord pre-approval before the animal moves in. Can I just bring my animal in once I have the letter?"
Even where the lease requires pre-approval, the FHA process is: submit the request, wait a reasonable time for response, and proceed once approval is granted (or once a reasonable time has elapsed without a response, which itself is a basis for a complaint). Bringing the animal in without prior request creates a separate lease-violation issue that is better avoided. Submit the request, wait for response, and proceed accordingly.
"I rent a single-family home from a private owner. Does the FHA apply?"
The "Mrs. Murphy" exemption in 42 USC 3603(b) excludes some owner-occupied buildings of four or fewer units from FHA coverage, and certain single-family rentals where the owner does not use a real estate agent and does not own more than three properties. Most rentals are covered. If you are unsure, the FHA likely applies; consult a fair-housing attorney for an authoritative answer.
Bottom line
- A written reasonable accommodation request is a meaningful legal step, not a paperwork formality.
- Include the six elements: name the request as a reasonable accommodation, identify yourself and your unit, state that you have a disability under the FHA, specify what you are requesting, reference the supporting letter, and ask for a written response.
- Do not include your specific diagnosis or detailed clinical narrative.
- Deliver via email or certified mail. Keep a copy of everything.
- If ignored, follow up. If denied, file with HUD or your state agency.
Talk to a Veritas clinician
A licensed nurse practitioner in your state will evaluate whether ESA documentation is clinically appropriate in your situation, in compliance with federal and state law. The fee is $99 and covers the evaluation itself, not a guaranteed outcome. Once the letter is in hand, the accommodation request is yours to send.
Educational content only. This post is not a clinical evaluation, not medical advice, and not a substitute for the professional judgment of a licensed clinician. Whether ESA documentation is issued in any individual case is determined solely by the licensed clinician's professional judgment at the time of your evaluation. Reading this article does not create a clinician-patient relationship.
Veritas Behavioral Group, LLC. Licensed clinicians available in AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, ID, IL, KS, MA, NV, NM, NY, TX, UT, VT, WA, and WY.
This is not legal advice. Statutes and regulations change, courts interpret them, and your situation has facts this post does not know. For advice about your specific case, consult a licensed attorney in your state. Veritas's founder is a licensed attorney; this blog is not the practice of law and does not create an attorney-client relationship.