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Yes, provided the mental-health professional who signs it holds an active mental health license in your state and has evaluated you. Federal law imposes no requirement that the assessment occur in person, and telehealth is an accepted mode of practice throughout the United States. What a housing provider verifies is the license, which is why each applicant is matched to a professional licensed in their own state.

The screening takes approximately ten minutes. A licensed mental-health professional generally reviews it within 24 hours, and an approved letter is issued within 15 minutes of approval. California is the exception: state law requires a clinical relationship of at least 30 days before ESA documentation may be issued.

You are told the reason directly, you retain your screening summary, and the letter fee is refunded in full. Mental-health professionals are paid for conducting the assessment rather than for approving it, which is what allows them to decline.

A covered housing provider must consider a reasonable accommodation request supported by reliable documentation. Refusal is lawful only on narrow grounds: the specific animal poses a direct threat, it would cause substantial property damage, or the accommodation would impose an undue financial or administrative burden. Certain properties are exempt, including owner-occupied buildings of four units or fewer.

No. An assistance animal is not a pet for fee purposes, so pet rent, pet fees and pet deposits do not apply once an accommodation is in place. You remain responsible for any damage the animal causes.

Generally not. Since the Department of Transportation rule took effect on January 11, 2021, airlines may treat emotional support animals as ordinary pets. Only trained psychiatric service dogs continue to qualify as service animals for air travel.

No. No federal or state ESA registry exists, and no certificate, identification card, vest or database entry carries legal weight. TheHealifyPet does not sell registrations, and a provider that does should be treated with caution.

No statute establishes an expiration date, but housing providers generally expect documentation dated within the previous twelve months. Renewal consists of a short clinical check-in and a newly dated letter.

An ESA housing letter is $129 for up to two pets, or $199 for three or more. A psychiatric service dog assessment is $149 for up to two dogs and $229 for up to three. No charge applies until a mental-health professional issues the letter.

Yes. A PSD assessment documents a disability-related need for trained task work, and a housing letter is included at no additional cost.

Campus residences are dwellings under the Fair Housing Act, so the same analysis applies. Requests are normally submitted through the disability services office, and deadlines often fall several months before move-in.

Your screening is protected health information, encrypted in transit and at rest. Your letter names no diagnosis, and your data is never sold.

Contact us before signing a new lease. Because the license must correspond to your state of residence, a move generally requires a short re-review with a mental-health professional licensed in the new state rather than a complete reassessment.