ESA letters in Irving

Corporate housing in Las Colinas

Las Colinas runs on corporate tenancy: relocations, extended assignments, and companies leasing units in bulk. Where an employer holds the lease, the accommodation request still belongs with the housing provider, but you may need your employer's cooperation to reach them. Establish who signs the lease before you submit.

Corporate-let units also come with furnished-unit clauses and damage terms that are stricter than usual. You remain responsible for actual damage your animal causes; what you cannot be charged is a pet fee or deposit for an approved assistance animal.

Older garden apartments

South and east Irving hold a large stock of 1970s and 1980s garden apartments under varied ownership. These are usually covered by the Act and usually lack a formal procedure for handling requests. A short, calm written request with documentation attached works better than a legal argument, and if it fails, you have the written record you need.

Language access

Irving households speak a very wide range of languages. Nothing in the Fair Housing Act requires a request to be in English, and a therapist's letter in English is valid whatever language you speak. If a leasing office will not deal with you in a language it uses for other residents, note the date and who you spoke to.

Where to complain in Dallas County

If a Irving housing provider denies a request you believe was lawful, there are three routes and they are not mutually exclusive.

• The Civil Rights Division of the Texas Workforce Commission enforces the Texas Fair Housing Act statewide.
• HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity handles complaints under the federal Act. Deadlines apply, so do not sit on it.
• Free legal help. Dallas County falls within the service area of Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, which covers 114 counties across North and West Texas and the Panhandle. Applications are taken by phone on 888-529-5277, subject to income eligibility.

Before any of that, read how to make the request properly — most denials we see in Irving follow a request that was never put in writing.