Tenant, after move in, said they are thinking of getting a service animal to help comfort them. I got the list of breeds that aren't allowed by my insurance company. Everything I read in the Oregon law seems to point to they can bring in any type of animal, plus I can't charge a fee or deposit for the animal.

Any tips? A potential comfort animal wasn't mentioned until after they moved in. Thanks for your insight.

They are getting a pet. A service animals isn't for comfort, that would be an ESA.

Suggest they buy a big fluffy stuffed toy they can hug when they sit on the couch and watch TV at night.

Accommodation needed?

On a separate page, please let us know if you'd like an 'accommodation’.

Accommodation is a broad and complex area of renting and law.

Some clarification may be needed as the app is processed.

Tenants will need documents from their health care provider that prescribes one of the types, a Service animal or ESA or comfort animal for a specific person that will live here.

Not service animals: Any other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals for the purposes of this definition, since 2011.

Include with the app:

Letter from an accredited health care provider, that you are currently using in the last 12 months.

It should be from a provider who has an ongoing relationship with the patient. Not an animal registry!

A Vet certificate for shots is also needed, for any dog or cat.

Service Animal Defined:

There is no ‘national registry’ for service animals. There are companies that offer a document, that has no standing.

The ADA definition of a service animal was revised in 2011 to mean the following:

Service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability.

You should have a document for the training.

The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the owners/handler´s actual and documented disability.

You should provide proof of prescription from an accredited healthcare provider for the disability,

including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.

Examples of work or tasks include, but are not limited to, assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds,

providing non-violent protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, assisting an individual during a seizure, alerting individuals to the presence of allergens, retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone,

providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities, and helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors.

A service dog is individually trained to perform tasks that reduce the disability of his owner.

Training typically takes 18-24 months.

Because of his advanced training, a service dog is considered medical equipment and is permitted to accompany his disabled owner to many places where pets are not permitted.

The crime deterrent effects of an animal´s presence and the provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship

DO NOT constitute work or tasks for the purposes of that definition.

[For more information see U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section: Service Animals, July 2015; also see

April 25, 2013 HUD position letter.]

Sean,

Let THEM choose their terminology and do not teach them what is right or wrong. Let them say too much and prove it's a fake.

SERVICE animals have no registry and HUD Fair Housing Law says they can only be dogs or in rare instances, miniature horses, and will have a LETTER OF MEDICAL NECESSITY from their doctor with a history of treating that patient, which expires every 365 days.

BRAD

Can ESA be anything? what proof for ESA needed?

I almost agree with everything that Brad said.......

HUD standard don't limit a SA to mini horses and dogs, it is the ADA that limits them those two animal types since you are dealing with the public in general. HUD and Fair Housing doesn't limit what can be a service animal. I want my tenants to have a dinosaur service animal.