How to Handle an ESA Request in a California Rental

A resident asks to keep an emotional support animal (ESA). Record the request, identify the reviewer, and explain the next step. A clear first response helps the person supply any necessary information and gives the team a way to keep the review moving.

This workflow concerns ESA requests in covered California housing. Trained service animals follow a narrower inquiry. For the owner's responsibilities, see our California ESA owner guide.

1. Receive and acknowledge the request

Accept oral requests, written requests, and requests through a representative. No specific form or legal terminology is required. Requests can arrive during leasing or an existing tenancy.

Record the receipt date, requested animal-policy exception, and urgency. Assign a contact and acknowledge receipt. Same-business-day acknowledgment is a useful operating standard. The legal requirement is prompt review according to the circumstances, rather than a universal final-decision deadline.

We've received your request to keep an emotional support animal. [Name] is your contact for the review. We'll let you know whether additional information is needed and provide an update by [date].

2. Identify the missing information

Before asking for documents, determine whether disability and the disability-related need are already apparent, known, or reliably established. Request only an element that remains unclear. Once sufficient reliable information exists, stop requesting verification.

The inquiry can establish the connection between the animal and equal use and enjoyment of housing. It cannot demand a diagnosis, medical records, unrelated history, or a blanket medical release. Reliable support may come from the requester or an informed third party. Section 12178.

3. Review support and any specific concern

An ESA needs no registration or task training. A vest, identification card, or purchased certificate alone may not establish need. Documentation based on legitimate individualized online care can be reliable. Explain an insufficient submission's specific gap and allow additional reliable information.

AB 468's conditions for practitioners providing emotional-support-dog documentation don't create a universal housing requirement for a clinical letter. See CRD's current ESA FAQ.

Refer disputed support, multiple animals, conflicting disability-related needs, and proposed denials to the authorized decision maker. For an incident, record what the particular animal did, when it happened, and the actual consequence. Ordinary pet restrictions and assumptions about a breed don't establish grounds for denial. Review relevant risk reduction and the limited denial grounds individually. Section 12185.

4. Communicate the decision and next action

An approval identifies the animals and policy exception. An information request states what is missing and acceptable ways to supply it. A denial needs a permitted reason supported by individual facts. Avoid reproducing disability details in routine correspondence.

If the original request cannot be granted for a permitted reason, seek and discuss equally effective alternatives. Give significant weight to the requester's needs and preferences. A proposed alternative must actually meet the housing need. Keep updates moving while review continues. Timing and interactive-process requirements.

5. Verify implementation before closing

Check the animal records and recurring charges after approval. Pet rent, pet deposits, animal-related fees, and animal-specific liability-insurance requirements don't apply. Review disputed earlier charges separately before promising a correction.

Restrict access to supporting disability information. Routine records should show status and the person responsible for the next action. Keep the request open while access or implementation problems remain unresolved.

Reviewed September 30, 2026: HUD's May 22, 2026 animal-accommodation enforcement memorandum focuses FHEO reasonable-cause findings and recommended charges on trained disability-assistance animals and preserves private court actions. CRD confirms California's ESA protections continue. This workflow applies the California requirements.

ESA request review checklist

Use this checklist alongside the guidance above.

Open the ESA checklist in a new tab.