An esa letter is an official document that verifies your mental and emotional disability as qualifying you to own an emotional support animal ESA. These letters are typically issued by licensed mental health professionals. The process of obtaining one varies, but most reputable online ESA service providers will have you start with an online assessment and then schedule a live phone or video consultation with a licensed professional to evaluate your need for an ESA.
After evaluating your needs, the doctor will give you a diagnosis and prescribe an ESA to help you with the mental and emotional challenges you are experiencing. They may recommend that you keep a dog, cat, or any other type of pet to help you cope with the problems you are facing. The therapist will also provide you with information as to how your esa letter can assist you in places where pets are normally not allowed, including housing communities that have no-pet policies.
Once you have the letter from your LMHP, it is illegal for your landlord to deny your request for an ESA accommodation, except under extenuating circumstances. You will need to renew the letter with your LMHP every year, and some landlords will require you to do so even more frequently, in order to continue to be eligible for an ESA accommodation.
If you are unsure how to verify whether a particular ESA letter is legitimate, there are some clues that you can watch out for to avoid falling victim to scammers. First, you should ensure that the LMHP is a licensed mental health professional who is registered to practice in your state or territory. Second, a valid ESA letter must be written on the practitioner’s official medical records and will include all of their contact information, including their name, address, name of their practice, DEA number, and phone number. It should be signed by the LMHP and clearly state that they have examined you and diagnosed you with a mental or emotional disability that qualifies you for an ESA.
A reputable service will offer a fast, user-friendly and entirely legitimate ESA letter approval process that is compliant with all federal laws, the Fair Housing Act, Air Carrier Access Act, and HIPAA regulations. This includes ensuring that you speak with a licensed therapist who conducts the evaluation in person to ensure they have all of the necessary facts to write a comprehensive and legitimate ESA letter for your specific situation. In addition, the best services will go above and beyond just providing a letter to help you with any additional forms or letters you need, speaking to your landlord on your behalf, and advocating for you if your housing community or airline tries to deny you the accommodations you are legally entitled to. One such service is Pettable, a well-reviewed and trustworthy provider of fast and comprehensive ESA letters that are fully compliant in all 50 states. Click here to get started.