Disclaimer

Not medical advice or treatment

This website provides general information. It is not medical advice, mental health treatment, diagnosis or a treatment recommendation, and reading it creates no therapist–patient relationship. That relationship arises only between you and a licensed therapist during an actual evaluation. Nothing here substitutes for care from your own provider, and you should never delay seeking care because of something you read here.

Not legal advice

We describe federal and Texas law in general terms so that renters and landlords can understand the framework. We are not a law firm, we are not your attorneys, and no attorney–client relationship is created. Law changes, applies differently to different facts, and is sometimes unsettled. For advice about your lease, your accommodation request or a criminal matter, consult an attorney licensed in Texas.

No guaranteed outcome

No page on this site promises that a therapist will support your request, that a letter will be issued, or that a housing provider will grant an accommodation. Therapists exercise independent professional judgment and can decline. Housing providers make their own decisions. A fee is payment for professional time, never for approval.

What an ESA letter cannot do

• It is not a public access document. Emotional support animals are not service animals under the ADA. Stores, restaurants, hotels, gyms and other businesses may refuse them.
• It does not help you fly. Airlines have not been required to accommodate emotional support animals since the U.S. Department of Transportation’s rule took effect in early 2021.
• It is not a workplace accommodation. Employers run a separate ADA process with their own documentation.
• It is not a registration or certification. No such thing exists in law, in Texas or federally, and nobody can sell you one.
• It does not override every housing rule. Some housing is exempt from the Fair Housing Act, and requests can be denied on specific permitted grounds.

Misrepresentation carries real risk in Texas

Texas law makes it an offense to intentionally or knowingly represent that an animal is an assistance animal or a service animal when the animal is not specially trained or equipped to help a person with a disability. On conviction the penalty is a fine of not more than $1,000 plus 30 hours of community service. Do not use a housing letter to claim public access. See our Texas law guide.

Third-party links

We link to government and academic sources so you can verify what we say. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content. Links are not endorsements of any commercial product.

Currency of information

Every guide shows when it was published, last updated and next scheduled for review. We review legal and clinical pages at least every six months, but law can change between reviews. If you spot something out of date, tell us.

Crisis

This site is not a crisis service and nobody monitors it around the clock. If you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911.