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Editorial
How We Source Every Legal Claim on This Site
This site makes legal claims about housing rights. Those claims have to be right, because people make housing decisions on them.
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In Summary
- Every legal claim traces to a statute, regulation or official agency guidance.
- Six industry claims are prohibited in our copy, including guaranteed approval.
- No affiliate links, no paid placement, no referral fees from trainers or agents.
- Corrections are made in place and dated. Write to support@thehealifypet.com.
Primary Sources Only
Every legal claim on this site traces to a primary source: the statute, the regulation, or official agency guidance. In practice that means the Fair Housing Act at 42 U.S.C. § 3601 and following, HUD's implementing regulations at 24 CFR Part 100, HUD notice FHEO-2020-01 on assistance animals, the ADA regulations at 28 CFR Parts 35 and 36, the Department of Transportation's service animal rule at 14 CFR Part 382, and state statutes read directly rather than through a summary.
We do not cite other ESA websites, and we do not cite content marketing. Where a point is genuinely unsettled or varies by jurisdiction, we say so rather than picking the version that is convenient for us.
Review and Dates
- Legal content is reviewed on a quarterly cycle, and immediately when a statute, regulation or major guidance document changes.
- Clinical content is reviewed by a licensed mental-health professional in our network before publication.
- Pages that summarize law carry the date of last review.
- State summaries are re-read against the current statute at each cycle, because this area changes often.
Claims We Won't Make
Some of the standard promises in this industry are simply false, and we treat them as prohibited language regardless of how well they convert:
- That approval is guaranteed, instant, or automatic.
- That an ESA letter permits air travel with an animal in the cabin.
- That an ESA has public access rights to shops, restaurants or workplaces.
- That registration, certification, ID cards or vests carry legal weight.
- That a landlord can never refuse a request.
- That any specific condition automatically qualifies a person.
Advertising and Independence
We take no payment for editorial placement, we run no affiliate links, and we accept no referral fees from trainers, breeders, insurers or letting agents. When we mention a category of service we do not benefit from, we say so. Our commercial pages are labeled by their function — pricing, plans, screening — and our informational pages are not written to steer you toward a purchase you do not need.
How to Report an Error
If something here is wrong, tell us at support@thehealifypet.com. We aim to respond within two business days. Substantive corrections are made in place and noted with a date at the foot of the page; typographical fixes are made silently. If we have published something materially misleading, the correction says what was wrong, not merely what is now right.
Who Writes This
Legal and clinical pages are drafted by our editorial team, reviewed by a licensed mental-health professional for clinical accuracy, and checked against primary sources by a second reader before publication. We are not attorneys and this site is not legal advice; where a question needs a lawyer we say so and point you to free options first, including HUD's complaint process and local legal aid.
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Sources We Rely On Most
Fair Housing Act
42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq., and HUD's regulations at 24 CFR Part 100 — the source of every housing claim on this site.
HUD Notice FHEO-2020-01
Assistance animal guidance for housing providers, January 2020, including what documentation is considered reliable.
ADA Regulations
28 CFR Parts 35 and 36, including the service animal definition and the exclusion of comfort from task work.
DOT Air Travel Rule
14 CFR Part 382 as amended, effective 11 January 2021, which ended mandatory ESA accommodation on flights.
Related Reading
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions asked most often about this topic.
Where Does Your Legal Information Come From?
Primary sources only: the Fair Housing Act, HUD's implementing regulations and assistance animal guidance, the ADA regulations, the Department of Transportation rule, and state statutes read directly.
Do You Cite Other ESA Websites?
No, and we do not cite content marketing. Where a point is genuinely unsettled or varies by jurisdiction, we say so.
How Often Is Content Reviewed?
Legal content is reviewed quarterly, and immediately when a statute, regulation or major guidance document changes. Pages that summarize law carry a review date.
Who Reviews the Clinical Content?
A licensed mental-health professional in our network, before publication.
What Claims Do You Refuse to Make?
That approval is guaranteed or instant, that a letter permits air travel or public access, that registration or ID cards carry legal weight, that a landlord can never refuse, or that any condition automatically qualifies someone.
Do You Run Affiliate Links or Paid Placement?
No. No affiliate links, no paid editorial placement, and no referral fees from trainers, breeders, insurers or letting agents.
How Do I Report an Error?
Email support@thehealifypet.com. We aim to respond within two business days.
How Are Corrections Handled?
Substantive corrections are made in place and dated. Typographical fixes are made silently. If we published something materially misleading, the correction says what was wrong.
Is This Site Legal Advice?
No. We are not attorneys. Where a question needs a lawyer we say so and point to free options first, including HUD's complaint process and local legal aid.
Do You Use AI to Write Your Pages?
Editorial drafting is a human process with clinical and source review before publication. What we will not do is generate legal claims without checking them against the statute.
Why Do Some Pages Hedge Instead of Giving a Straight Answer?
Because in several states we are confident a rule exists but not confident of its exact scope. Hedging is more useful to you than a confident answer that turns out to be wrong.
How Do You Decide What Goes in the State Summaries?
Each state is re-read against its current statute on our quarterly cycle. Where we have not identified an ESA-specific statute, we say that rather than implying one exists.
Read First. Decide After.
Read the housing rights guide before you start a screening if you would rather understand your position first.