Service Animals and Tenants

If a tenant has a service animal a landlord has to sometimes make reasonable accommodations so the pet can remain in the rental unit.

For example, an owner might make an exception to a “no pets” rule for a tenant with a disability who needs a guide dog or other service animal. An owner, however, is not required to help care for the animal. The latter would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of services provided by the owner. Finally, because a request for an accommodation or modification must be directly linked to the person’s disability, owners have the right to ask an applicant or tenant who submits the request for documentation of his or her disability.

If a tenant or applicant provides documentation from a physician or health care provider, an owner must consider the request even if the tenant or applicant doesn’t “look” disabled.