YOU ARE ALLOWED TO ASK FOR THE ANIMAL’S BREED, SIZE, COLOR, AND A CURRENT PHOTO.
THE VALIDATION SHIELD: FOCUSING ON THE ANIMAL
Beyond the letter, you have a right to know who—and what—is living in your units. Building a “Validation Shield” means focusing on safe questions in regard to the property, instead of verification inquiry. You are allowed to ask for the animal’s breed, size, color, and a current photo. This isn’t about policing the animal; it’s a safety measure to ensure management can identify the animal if it escapes or if there is an emergency on site. Furthermore, while you can ask about an animal’s history of aggression, you must do so uniformly. If you only ask for the history of a specific breed or only for ESAs, you are likely in violation. Targeting an ESA for an “aggression check” when you don’t do the same for a standard pet is a fast track to a fair housing complaint.
Avoid saying:
“Since this is an ESA, we need to know its full history of aggression.”
Say this instead:
“We ask all residents, pet owners and assistance animal handlers alike, to provide identifying markers and a photo for our files in case of emergencies.” This ensures that if the animal were to escape, management has the markers to find it safely without creating a discriminatory barrier.
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