Free ESA Letter Example

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Free ESA Letter Example

Do you get harassed by your landlord or airline when you keep your emotional support animal? If you need to keep your emotional support animal (ESA) at your side, but feel like you’re getting harassed or mistreated because of it, DoNotPay can help.

This article explains everything you need to know about ESA letters, including an example of one letter you can write to your healthcare provider. We’ll cover:

  1. What is an ESA?
  2. What is an ESA letter?
  3. Who can write these letters.
  4. How DoNotPay can help you fill out and deliver ESA letters.
  5. And a few more ways DoNotPay can help you.

What is an Emotional Support Animal?

An emotional support animal is an animal that provides therapeutic emotional support or assistance to its owner by being physically present. Small dogs are popular ESAs, but they can be cats, pigs, rabbits and even miniature horses.

What is an ESA Letter?

You cannot write your own ESA letter, a professional must do that for you. But you can write a letter to ask for that document.

An ESA letter is prescribed documentation offered by a professional mental health practitioner, stating that you benefit from the companionship that you get from your pet.

The table below explains the contents of this important document.

What must be included in an ESA letter?
  1. Your name
  2. The date
  3. A description of the animal, including it’s name, breed, or other information
  4. The prescribing professional’s name and license number
  5. Their complete address and phone number

Therefore, as you pursue one, be on the lookout that yours includes all the information mentioned above.

Who Can Write an ESA Letter?

State laws for landlords and airline rules vary a little from one place to the next. But as a rule, any certified, licensed healthcare or mental health care provider can write an ESA for you. Some examples include:

  • Mental health professionals, PCP's
  • Licensed Social Worker (LCSW)
  • Psychologist
  • Physician's Assistant
  • Psychiatrist
  • Registered Nurse
  • Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
  • Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

Now that you know all about ESA letters for landlords and airlines, let’s look at examples.

Example ESA Letter to the Landlord

Generally, landlords cannot discriminate against you for needing an ESA. You might be able to get a reduction on pet deposits if you need this animal for your health. But you’ll need to keep the letter up to date and on file with the landlord every year, or every few years, depending on the state.

You can write a request to your healthcare provider and ask them to provide the document. An is below.

{Mental Health Professional and Practice}

{Physical address}

ESA Letter Requester:

Name: _________

Phone number: __________

Email: __________

Address: _____________

{Date}

Dear (Mental health professional's name)

{SUBJECT/PURPOSE FOR WRITING THE REQUEST}

I am hereby requesting an ESA recommendation letter to send to {Landlord} explaining that I need the therapy dog as part of my treatment.

The following are the contact information of the Landlord:

{Landlord's name}: _______________

{Landlord's address}:_______________

I would really appreciate it if you acknowledged in the letter that you are my doctor and that you recommend my stay or travel with the dog.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

{Image of eSignature}

{Sender's full name}_______________

{Time}: ____________________

How to Get an ESA Letter on Your Own

If you have a personal licensed physician, the best way would be to book an appointment with them and ask them to draft one for you. Another way would be to book an online appointment with a professional health care provider and ask them to draw one for you.

Even though these methods seem easy, they aren't. Most health care providers are usually fully booked, and getting them to draft you an ESA letter can take ages. For that reason, DoNotPay has created an Emotional Support Animal product service to help you request your letter and get it within the shortest time possible.

DoNotPay Can Help You Get an ESA Letter

Through our new Service and Emotional Support Animals product, DoNotPay can help you with all of your ESA-related concerns, including contacting your landlord about your ESA, asking airlines about their accommodation options, and finding the most affordable online ESA-letter service. Just follow these steps.

  1. Search "service animal" on DoNotPay.

  2. Select the type of issue you need help with, including contacting your landlord about your ESA/service animal, asking your airline about ESA options, or requesting ESA/service accommodations at other venues.

  3. Answer a series of questions about your current situation and the details of your ESA/service animal, so we can generate the best results for you.

And that's it! Depending on your issue, DoNotPay will generate a letter to your landlord and mail it on your behalf, contact the airline agency and get back to you with an answer, or send a letter to your mental health professional requesting an ESA letter.

More DoNotPay Products for Your Pets

  • Lost and Found Pets
  • Pet Custody Agreement
  • Pet Licenses
  • Report Animal Abuse

What else can DoNotPay do?

Other than helping you get an emotional animal support letter, DoNotPay can also help you with:

Any time you need help with a document or letter, make DoNotPay your first stop!

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