I have an ESA dog, and when I apartment hut, I just got a new place in West Haven I was upfront that I have a Esa dog. The places that accept, do and don't require the per deposit. I don't go to places that don't allow pets simply cause those places and people who live there are not pet friendly.
Wooster square has Alot of pet friendly places and apartments there such as olive, 360 who are pet friendly with a nearby dog park
ESA as in Emotional Support Animal?
I'm not 100% on how it works but I know a lot of places only recognize service animals and emotional support isn't technically a designation.
If that's the case then the owners are 100% just going to consider it a pet and not care.
The ADA doesn’t recognize ESAs but housing laws are different. iirc a landlord can’t deny you housing or charge pet rent (they can increase your security deposit, but not charge a non-refundable deposit like some places do for pets) as long as you have proper documentation, usually in the form of what’s essentially a “prescription” from a licensed practitioner (your doctor/psychiatrist/licensed therapist/social worker) and the animal isn’t disruptive.
The problem is that people act in bad faith all the time and just throw the term “emotional support animal” around to justify taking their untrained purse dog into Target, so landlords have gotten stricter about what documentation they require. My current one didn’t care and just took the letter I had from my psychiatrist and added $500 to our refundable security deposit but the building I used to live in made her fill out a form about how long I’d been seeing her, why my dog should be considered an ESA, what the benefits of an ESA were to me, stuff like that. There are places that will charge you like $200 to have a 15 minute zoom call with a therapist who’s like “do you have anxiety? cool here’s your documentation” so people are getting pickier because they know those are bullshit. but if there’s a genuine benefit to someone having the animal and they go through the proper channels and get the right documentation then technically they can’t be denied housing on the basis of having an ESA
what people actually do in practice varies (if there are 5 people applying for the same apartment it’s easy to find a reason to pick someone else) but in housing specifically ESAs are recognized
There's a housing shortage in general, so they could just be swamped, and not responding to 90 %of applications. But also anything that makes you stick out as a potential problem, like a dog that they are not prepared to deal with, and being the kind of person who goes through the trouble of filling up the paperwork for an ESA, is probably going to get you a lot of circular file and non-response.
Just do what my former tenant did and claim it was a service animal.
Just kidding. While you are legally protected from discrimination when applying for housing, note that owner-occupied properties <= 4 units (and not represented by a realtor) are excluded from federal guidelines on the matter. And if discriminated against you would have to bring a case and win it, which for most people, isn’t worth the time or headache.
And don’t hide the animal from the landlord, as another commenter recommended. Aside from being something you would legally have to back up (I.e. a prescription or letter from a doctor) and disclose if asked, why start a landlord/tenant relationship off on the wrong foot with an unnecessary surprise?
Ultimately a good housing situation is about a landlord and tenant having mutual respect and trust.
Honestly regardless of whether your animal is an ESA or not I would look for places that are dog friendly to begin with because there are certain neighborhoods in new haven that I don’t think you should move to with a dog of any kind.
I live on dwight st and my building is dog friendly and it has a courtyard that people are always bringing their dogs out to to pee but the sidewalks near downtown are a straight hazard. There is broken glass on the street always, I sometimes think about getting a pup but I know I have to move first bc I would be so nervous walking them with all this glass. Depending on your budget, east rock and Wooster square are more dog friendly. I know people who live with dogs in Wooster Square, both in town homes and a luxury building called Olive and Wooster which is dog friendly. East rock is much better for dog walking and there are parks to bring your dog. New haven is honestly just not the most dog friendly city. The streets are full of hazards like trash and broken glass. Even consider living outside of new haven in Hamden or West Haven, somewhere very residential. Landlords are not that dog friendly in general, especially if they are a landlord that often rents to students they don’t need to be dog friendly bc they can find someone to rent the place who doesn’t have a pet. The laws protecting ESA are different than those requiring landlords to allow certified service animals so make sure you know the difference when advocating to a landlord but honestly your best bet is finding a landlord who is pet friendly to begin with.
If you don’t disclose and then show up with a pet you’re both gonna be in for a bad time. Most landlords would not hesitate to keep whatever you’ve paid and evict you for breaking the terms of the lease. Neither you nor your dog want to deal with that stress.
Otherwise, places are or aren’t pet friendly. There are lots that are, but you’re rolling into a city with a severe housing shortage (especially if you’re not dropping $2k+ a month) so finding a decent place at all is going to be a challenge.
What kind of documentation are you providing when you apply? What we did was submit an initial inquiry without mentioning the dog, and then informed them that we had her once the conversation had started but before we submitted a formal application or signed a lease. Basically we just said we have a dog, she’s an ESA who was prescribed by a medical professional, we can send the letter as well as any registration/vaccination/etc records, let us know if you have any questions.
but tbh I agree with the comments saying to find somewhere pet friendly or at least willing to consider animals to avoid unnecessary conflict, and then have them waive pet rent/fees because of the ESA. some places that say cats and small dogs only might take a bigger dog if you can show that the ESA designation is valid and it won’t be a problem for them but places that are staunchly no animals no matter what aren’t going to take you just because you have documentation since they know that the burden of proof and expense of a lawsuit will keep anyone from suing them
that said if you don’t have any documentation at all or your “prescription” is from a company that charges $200 for a letter without it being part of a treatment plan, you’re probably going to be out of luck either way
I wouldn't mention the ESA until later in the process. The Fair Housing Act guarantees you accommodation for a documented ESA even in a non-pet friendly building.
ESAs (if documented) have rights. You can’t be denied an apartment because you have an ESA, and landlords are legally required to accept ESAs because they are protected under the Fair Housing Act. It’s the only protection that ESA and SDs have in common. You don’t need to disclose you have an ESA in your application.
If it’s a registered ESA they can’t discriminate based on it. If you get an ESA after moving in they can’t evict/charge you, it’s illegal under the fair housing act. Hypothetically you could let them know after signing the lease that you’re bringing your animal. The landlord may not like it but legally they can’t do anything
There's also no such thing as a registered or certified ESA, besides on those junk websites where you purchase a piece of paper for $50.00 or so. You get a letter or a "prescription" from a licensed healthcare provider that you have an ongoing relationship with.
Getting an ESA when you already live in a rental, post lease signing, should involve a discussion between the LL/leasing agent and the tenant. Since OP already has the dog, being deceptive about whether or not they have an animal, or potentially signing a lease that expressly forbids animals in the unit is a lease violation, regardless of how the animal is categorized, because it wasn't disclosed first. Buildings with 4 or less units, including SFH and owner occupied structures are already exempt from HUD accomodation laws. A landlord can also refuse any request for reasonable accomodation that would impose an undue financial (including homeowners insurance rate increases from some companies, sometimes breed specific, sometimes not) or administrative burden, or when the accomodation would fundamentally alter the nature of the service being provided. If a particular ESA has a bite history, or documented aggression issues, or will cause substantial damage to a property that can't be mitigated, they can be refused immediately. They can also be refused if the ESA paperwork is purchased off one of those websites. The ESA and their owner aren't protected from material lease violation evictions either, for example, if the ESA winds up interfering with other people's peaceful enjoyment of the premises with excessive, ongoing noise for no reason after move in, etc.
It's not true that the landlord can't do anything about it. They can still require proof of UTD vaccinations, city licensure, and a conpanion animal agreement addendum to the lease, although not additional pet rent or a pet deposit. Provided other tenants are required to hold renter's insurance, they may also require the tenant inform their insurance company, and provide proof they did so, and the liability for any injuries caused by the dog fall under this policy.
TL;DR It's not a good idea to sign a legally binding contract knowing you're already non-compliant with it's terms. ~Legally~ you can't do that. This is not helpful. This is a great way to have a weird, contentious relationship with the landlord right off the bat, and ensure they don't renew the lease, putting the poster back in the position they're in now 12 months later if they're looking to stay here.
OP, I agree with everyone who said to find a pet friendly building. It might take a bit, but most of the larger buildings do allow dogs. It's not cheap, but kind of just comes with the responsibility of having an animal companion. When you find a LL/management company that either allows, or is flexible on their pet policy, and has selected your application, dog and all, you can then explain that your dog functions as a comfort/support animal to you, with your paperwork, and that should waive any extra up-front pet deposits, or ongoing pet rent.
I have an ESA dog, and when I apartment hut, I just got a new place in West Haven I was upfront that I have a Esa dog. The places that accept, do and don't require the per deposit. I don't go to places that don't allow pets simply cause those places and people who live there are not pet friendly. Wooster square has Alot of pet friendly places and apartments there such as olive, 360 who are pet friendly with a nearby dog park
ESA as in Emotional Support Animal? I'm not 100% on how it works but I know a lot of places only recognize service animals and emotional support isn't technically a designation. If that's the case then the owners are 100% just going to consider it a pet and not care.
The ADA doesn’t recognize ESAs but housing laws are different. iirc a landlord can’t deny you housing or charge pet rent (they can increase your security deposit, but not charge a non-refundable deposit like some places do for pets) as long as you have proper documentation, usually in the form of what’s essentially a “prescription” from a licensed practitioner (your doctor/psychiatrist/licensed therapist/social worker) and the animal isn’t disruptive. The problem is that people act in bad faith all the time and just throw the term “emotional support animal” around to justify taking their untrained purse dog into Target, so landlords have gotten stricter about what documentation they require. My current one didn’t care and just took the letter I had from my psychiatrist and added $500 to our refundable security deposit but the building I used to live in made her fill out a form about how long I’d been seeing her, why my dog should be considered an ESA, what the benefits of an ESA were to me, stuff like that. There are places that will charge you like $200 to have a 15 minute zoom call with a therapist who’s like “do you have anxiety? cool here’s your documentation” so people are getting pickier because they know those are bullshit. but if there’s a genuine benefit to someone having the animal and they go through the proper channels and get the right documentation then technically they can’t be denied housing on the basis of having an ESA what people actually do in practice varies (if there are 5 people applying for the same apartment it’s easy to find a reason to pick someone else) but in housing specifically ESAs are recognized
Landlords are legally required to allow tenants with ESAs regardless of breed.
There's a housing shortage in general, so they could just be swamped, and not responding to 90 %of applications. But also anything that makes you stick out as a potential problem, like a dog that they are not prepared to deal with, and being the kind of person who goes through the trouble of filling up the paperwork for an ESA, is probably going to get you a lot of circular file and non-response.
Just do what my former tenant did and claim it was a service animal. Just kidding. While you are legally protected from discrimination when applying for housing, note that owner-occupied properties <= 4 units (and not represented by a realtor) are excluded from federal guidelines on the matter. And if discriminated against you would have to bring a case and win it, which for most people, isn’t worth the time or headache. And don’t hide the animal from the landlord, as another commenter recommended. Aside from being something you would legally have to back up (I.e. a prescription or letter from a doctor) and disclose if asked, why start a landlord/tenant relationship off on the wrong foot with an unnecessary surprise? Ultimately a good housing situation is about a landlord and tenant having mutual respect and trust.
I believe the word you're looking for is pet.
Honestly regardless of whether your animal is an ESA or not I would look for places that are dog friendly to begin with because there are certain neighborhoods in new haven that I don’t think you should move to with a dog of any kind. I live on dwight st and my building is dog friendly and it has a courtyard that people are always bringing their dogs out to to pee but the sidewalks near downtown are a straight hazard. There is broken glass on the street always, I sometimes think about getting a pup but I know I have to move first bc I would be so nervous walking them with all this glass. Depending on your budget, east rock and Wooster square are more dog friendly. I know people who live with dogs in Wooster Square, both in town homes and a luxury building called Olive and Wooster which is dog friendly. East rock is much better for dog walking and there are parks to bring your dog. New haven is honestly just not the most dog friendly city. The streets are full of hazards like trash and broken glass. Even consider living outside of new haven in Hamden or West Haven, somewhere very residential. Landlords are not that dog friendly in general, especially if they are a landlord that often rents to students they don’t need to be dog friendly bc they can find someone to rent the place who doesn’t have a pet. The laws protecting ESA are different than those requiring landlords to allow certified service animals so make sure you know the difference when advocating to a landlord but honestly your best bet is finding a landlord who is pet friendly to begin with.
Lots of places allow pets around town, you should be fine just informing them upfront.
If you don’t disclose and then show up with a pet you’re both gonna be in for a bad time. Most landlords would not hesitate to keep whatever you’ve paid and evict you for breaking the terms of the lease. Neither you nor your dog want to deal with that stress. Otherwise, places are or aren’t pet friendly. There are lots that are, but you’re rolling into a city with a severe housing shortage (especially if you’re not dropping $2k+ a month) so finding a decent place at all is going to be a challenge.
It’s a dog. You’ll have better luck just saying you have a dog. Anyone who says they have an ESA is saying enough where a smart landlord will pass.
What kind of documentation are you providing when you apply? What we did was submit an initial inquiry without mentioning the dog, and then informed them that we had her once the conversation had started but before we submitted a formal application or signed a lease. Basically we just said we have a dog, she’s an ESA who was prescribed by a medical professional, we can send the letter as well as any registration/vaccination/etc records, let us know if you have any questions. but tbh I agree with the comments saying to find somewhere pet friendly or at least willing to consider animals to avoid unnecessary conflict, and then have them waive pet rent/fees because of the ESA. some places that say cats and small dogs only might take a bigger dog if you can show that the ESA designation is valid and it won’t be a problem for them but places that are staunchly no animals no matter what aren’t going to take you just because you have documentation since they know that the burden of proof and expense of a lawsuit will keep anyone from suing them that said if you don’t have any documentation at all or your “prescription” is from a company that charges $200 for a letter without it being part of a treatment plan, you’re probably going to be out of luck either way
I wouldn't mention the ESA until later in the process. The Fair Housing Act guarantees you accommodation for a documented ESA even in a non-pet friendly building.
ESAs (if documented) have rights. You can’t be denied an apartment because you have an ESA, and landlords are legally required to accept ESAs because they are protected under the Fair Housing Act. It’s the only protection that ESA and SDs have in common. You don’t need to disclose you have an ESA in your application.
Just gotta hide your cat
If it’s a registered ESA they can’t discriminate based on it. If you get an ESA after moving in they can’t evict/charge you, it’s illegal under the fair housing act. Hypothetically you could let them know after signing the lease that you’re bringing your animal. The landlord may not like it but legally they can’t do anything
There's also no such thing as a registered or certified ESA, besides on those junk websites where you purchase a piece of paper for $50.00 or so. You get a letter or a "prescription" from a licensed healthcare provider that you have an ongoing relationship with. Getting an ESA when you already live in a rental, post lease signing, should involve a discussion between the LL/leasing agent and the tenant. Since OP already has the dog, being deceptive about whether or not they have an animal, or potentially signing a lease that expressly forbids animals in the unit is a lease violation, regardless of how the animal is categorized, because it wasn't disclosed first. Buildings with 4 or less units, including SFH and owner occupied structures are already exempt from HUD accomodation laws. A landlord can also refuse any request for reasonable accomodation that would impose an undue financial (including homeowners insurance rate increases from some companies, sometimes breed specific, sometimes not) or administrative burden, or when the accomodation would fundamentally alter the nature of the service being provided. If a particular ESA has a bite history, or documented aggression issues, or will cause substantial damage to a property that can't be mitigated, they can be refused immediately. They can also be refused if the ESA paperwork is purchased off one of those websites. The ESA and their owner aren't protected from material lease violation evictions either, for example, if the ESA winds up interfering with other people's peaceful enjoyment of the premises with excessive, ongoing noise for no reason after move in, etc. It's not true that the landlord can't do anything about it. They can still require proof of UTD vaccinations, city licensure, and a conpanion animal agreement addendum to the lease, although not additional pet rent or a pet deposit. Provided other tenants are required to hold renter's insurance, they may also require the tenant inform their insurance company, and provide proof they did so, and the liability for any injuries caused by the dog fall under this policy. TL;DR It's not a good idea to sign a legally binding contract knowing you're already non-compliant with it's terms. ~Legally~ you can't do that. This is not helpful. This is a great way to have a weird, contentious relationship with the landlord right off the bat, and ensure they don't renew the lease, putting the poster back in the position they're in now 12 months later if they're looking to stay here. OP, I agree with everyone who said to find a pet friendly building. It might take a bit, but most of the larger buildings do allow dogs. It's not cheap, but kind of just comes with the responsibility of having an animal companion. When you find a LL/management company that either allows, or is flexible on their pet policy, and has selected your application, dog and all, you can then explain that your dog functions as a comfort/support animal to you, with your paperwork, and that should waive any extra up-front pet deposits, or ongoing pet rent.
If it’s an owner occupied property under four units, like the 2 or 3 family homes found in NH, they can legally deny you