Episode 249: ESA Letters: What Landlords Need to Know with Prairie Conlon
Summary
In this episode, Dr Jennifer Salisbury sits down with clinician Prairie Conlon to unpack the confusion and controversy surrounding Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) in rental housing. They clarify what an ESA legally is under the Fair Housing Act, how it differs from a service animal, and why online “ESA mills” have created distrust among landlords. Prairie explains what a legitimate clinical evaluation should include and walks landlords through how to verify an ESA letter without violating fair housing laws. The conversation also emphasizes that landlords retain important rights — including protections against property damage, aggression, and unreasonable behavior — because an ESA is a reasonable accommodation, not a free pass. Ultimately, the episode bridges the gap between tenants and landlords by promoting education, integrity, and structured processes that protect everyone involved.
Listen to the full episode :
This Week’s Blog Post:
Understanding Emotional Support Animals
Welcome to My Life as a Landlord, where we educate curious US and Canadian landlords, answer rental questions and clear up confusion about all things housing. In this episode, I’m diving into one of the most confusing and controversial topics in tenant screening, especially if you’re in the US: emotional support animals. When a landlord, especially a new landlord, receives an ESA letter, it can feel overwhelming and anxiety inducing. I wanted to have this conversation because emotional support animals are a valid form of treatment, but the industry has completely undermined what that does for people. Prairie Conlon has been working in the emotional support animal space for nearly a decade, and we talked about integrity in the process, proper clinical evaluation, and protecting both tenants and landlords.
What an ESA Letter Actually Is
One of the biggest things we talked about is that an emotional support animal is valid in housing between a landlord and a tenant. It is not a service dog, it is not for public access, and it is not for flying anymore. There is no such thing as an ESA certificate or registration. It is a letter from a doctor or therapist. The problem is that pop-up companies have made websites that look legitimate, sold certificates and letters, and made the whole process much more confusing. I actually tried one of these websites myself and was shocked that I could pay about $100 and receive a letter within about ten minutes. Now you can even buy them on Amazon. That cheapens something that is a valid form of treatment and can be lifesaving for people.
How Landlords Can Verify a Letter
For landlords, the goal should not be to catch a tenant or force disclosure of private medical information. The goal is to verify whether the request is legitimate, disability related, and supported by appropriate documentation. The first thing to do is verify that the provider is real and licensed, that the license is active, and that the provider practices in the state where they are permitted to evaluate the tenant. A legitimate ESA letter is not a certificate or registration. It includes the provider’s name, license, contact information, and a statement that the individual has a disability related need for the accommodation and how the animal provides support related to that disability. It does not need to disclose the diagnosis. I also think it is important to look for signs of an actual clinical process, including whether there was a conversation and an interactive clinical assessment.
What Landlords Can and Cannot Ask
There are things landlords cannot ask for, and this is where it can become an awkward conversation. Do not ask for a full diagnosis, therapy notes, medication records, psychiatric histories, previous appointments, or other personal health information. You can know whether there is a disability that impacts a major life activity and how the animal helps mitigate the symptoms. That is really all you need to know. I also wanted landlords to know that protections still exist. An emotional support animal cannot be aggressive, cause noise disturbances, damage property, or create direct threats to safety. You can still charge cleaning fees when a tenant leaves, and you do not have to put up with excessive property damage, aggressive behavior, or ongoing noise disturbances. An emotional support animal is a reasonable accommodation, but if the animal is going to bite somebody, that is not reasonable.
Making the ESA Process More Legitimate
I came away from this conversation feeling like the ESA arena does not have to be so controversial. If landlords can have and follow a structured verification process, and legitimate clinicians follow their ethical standards, we can make this process more legitimate for everybody. Verify the clinician’s license, make sure the letter is a legitimate letter and not a certificate, check the contact information and signature, and make sure the letter explains the major life activity that is impacted and how the animal helps mitigate that. Then follow up and verify that the clinician actually wrote the letter. Legitimate clinicians who are doing this the right way will have good faith conversations and help educate landlords and clients. I really appreciate Prairie coming on the show to explain that landlords are protected, that emotional support animals are an accommodation for housing, and that change does not happen unless we have these conversations.