A right to an emotional support animal has been a heavily discussed topic for years, especially for certain extreme requests involving the use of an exotic animal for emotional support purposes, or when there is a claim that the emotional support animal needs its own emotional support animal, in a relatively clear attempt to circumvent community pet restrictions.

While a resident may request that a community association accommodate his/her disability by allowing him/her to keep an emotional support animal, there are numerous considerations to ensure compliance and protect rights under Fair Housing laws. In fact, complaints concerning the denial of reasonable accommodation and disability access comprise almost 60% of all complaints under the Fair Housing Act. Therefore, a frequent ask by my community association clients is how to appropriately respond to such requests.