In the United States, about 86.9 million families have a pet. These "pets" differ from the service and emotional support animals living with many other Americans.
As a landlord in Greenville, NC, it's essential to know how those terms differ and how these animals benefit their owners. One reason is that there are housing-related laws surrounding service and emotional support animals.
This guide explores each type of animal and its implications for you as a landlord, so please read on.
Service Animals
Service animals, primarily canines, have undergone individualized service dog training. They perform tasks designed to help their owners with physical, psychiatric, sensory, or developmental disabilities.
There are many ways a service animal benefits its owner, such as:
- Acting as a guide for their owner who is blind or deaf
- Retrieving items like medications for a person who uses a wheelchair
- Serving as a medical alert dog, such as for someone with epilepsy or diabetes
Because of their roles, service animals and their owners have specific rights under the following laws.
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
The ADA protects people with service dogs. Under this law, entities such as shops, hotels, and restaurants must allow people to bring their service dogs in. They must also modify their facilities to accommodate these individuals and their service animals.
The Fair Housing Act (FHA)
Under the FHA, landlords with no-pet policies must make reasonable accommodations for individuals with service dogs.
So, as a landlord in Greenville, NC, you must always consider the rental applications of people with service animals. You cannot charge pet fees or deposits, as service animals aren't pets.
Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)
An emotional support pet doesn't have to undergo individualized training or perform specific tasks.
Instead, ESAs provide companionship. Their presence alone can help their owners cope with emotional and mental health conditions.
As for emotional support animal laws, the FHA is one of them. So, even if landlords have a no-pet policy, they can't just reject applicants for having these companion animals.
Pets
Pets are animals primarily kept for companionship.
Pets are not like service animals trained to perform specific tasks. While they may have emotional and mental pet support roles, they don't automatically classify as ESAs. Owners of ESAs have obtained ESA letters from licensed healthcare professionals.
The ADA and FHA don't cover regular pets. So, as a Greenville landlord, you'll have more flexibility when allowing pets in your rental properties. For example, you can:
- Allow all types of pets
- Set restrictions, such as on breed or size
- Require pet insurance
You can also have a no-pet policy, but that can limit your tenant pool, as many renters have pets. For the same reason, having a pet-friendly policy is one of the most effective ways to attract tenants.
Comply With Animal Laws
Knowing how service and emotional support animals differ from pets can help you, a landlord, abide by housing laws.
Our full-service property management company, Flagship Realty Group, can help you comply with rental laws. We've been providing property management solutions since 2007. We're also an A+ BBB Accredited Business and a member of leading real estate organizations, including NAR, NARPM, and NC Realtors.
So, contact us today! We'll gladly assist you in managing your Greenville properties and keeping them compliant.
