Emotional support animals can benefit those who are suffering from mental health issues. ESA letters can be written for those with a mental health disability, and the process is relatively simple. It requires one to meet with a mental health professional and get diagnosed; the doctor will write the ESA letter if they deem an ESA to be a good treatment for the mental health ailment.
Getting an ESA letter in San Diego is worthwhile because it will allow you to live with your ESA anywhere. This includes rentals that normally don’t allow pets. Furthermore, you will be exempt from paying any pet deposits, fees, or pet rent. If you need to live with your animal because they provide relief, but you’re struggling to afford such fees, then an ESA letter is definitely worth considering.
In this article, we will be sharing everything you need to know about getting an ESA letter. We’ll explain the differences between ESAs and service animals, the laws and rights ESAs have (and don’t have), how to avoid scams, what the process of getting a letter looks like, and much more.
Keep reading to learn how to get an ESA letter in San Diego.
What Is an Emotional Support Animal?
Emotional support animals are animals that mental health specialists prescribe to those who struggle with mental illness. The animal is seen as a necessary treatment for the person’s mental health because it can provide some sort of therapeutic benefit.
For some patients, an ESA’s presence helps reduce feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety. Emotional support animals can also provide focus or motivation in one’s life since they need to be cared for.
Emotional support animals are sometimes confused with service animals, but they are not the same. Emotional support animals are not service animals and do not have the same rights or requirements. In addition, service animals can only be dogs, but emotional support animals can be any domesticated animal. Service dogs must undergo rigorous training, but ESAs are not required to be trained.
We will explain both the privileges and restrictions ESAs face throughout this article.
Who Can Qualify for an ESA in San Diego?
Those with mental health disabilities can qualify for an ESA. There is no definitive list of disabilities that do or don’t qualify. Rather, it is up to a licensed mental health specialist in your state to determine whether or not your symptoms necessitate an ESA.
That said, some mental health disabilities that commonly qualify for ESAs include PTSD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, learning disabilities, chronic stress, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder. USSA can connect you with a licensed mental health specialist to help determine if an ESA would be right for you.
What Are the Benefits of Having an ESA Letter in San Diego?
Having an ESA letter will provide you with some very useful benefits. For example, emotional support animals are exempt from city and state restrictions on dog breeds. They’re also exempt from landlord restrictions such as no-pet policies.
Under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), landlords must make reasonable accommodations for people with ESA letters. This includes waiving pet fees and allowing the renter to live with their ESA regardless of any no-pet policies. That’s right: ESAs get to live with their owners, even in apartments that don’t allow pets, free of charge!
Not only that, but ESAs are also exempt from weight and size limits. If an apartment complex typically only allows pets under 40 lbs, that weight limit does not apply to an ESA. As we stated before, ESAs are also exempt from breed restrictions. If your ESA is a pit bull, but the apartment you’re living in doesn’t allow them, that restriction doesn’t apply to you as long as you have an ESA letter.
Though San Diego is much more lenient than some other cities or states regarding breed restrictions, it isn’t uncommon to come across apartments that don’t allow pets. Having an ESA letter will allow you to seek affordable housing without worrying about whether you can bring your ESA with you.
