FAQs About Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals

You start with a short online intake that helps us match you with the right therapist for an ESA or PSD evaluation, then meet with them across 2 to 4 sessions over 2 to 3 weeks. Sessions are online, either video or phone, whichever works for you. If you qualify, your letter is prepared and delivered after your final session, typically within a few business days.

Every letter, whether ESA or PSD, comes from a licensed mental health professional in your state after a real multi-session evaluation. That means there's a documented therapeutic relationship behind your letter, which is exactly what landlords, property managers, HOAs, and universities check when they verify legitimacy. No form-fill letters, no instant approvals, no "registry" pages.

Emma & Buddy charges one flat fee per letter type. This covers your intake, all sessions with your licensed therapist, and your final documentation. No per-session pricing, no hidden charges, no upsells. Current pricing is listed at signup.

If your therapist determines you don't qualify for an ESA or PSD letter after the evaluation, our money-back guarantee applies. We won't push you into documentation that doesn't fit your situation.

Every Emma & Buddy letter includes confirmation of your qualifying condition (without naming the specific diagnosis), your therapist's signature and license number, the therapist's state and contact information, and language explaining your rights under the Fair Housing Act (for ESAs) or the ADA and FHA (for PSDs). The letter is formatted for review by landlords, property managers, HOAs, and universities.

Your ESA letter can list more than one animal if your licensed therapist determines that each provides genuine emotional support. Let your therapist know during your consultation if you have more than one companion.

There's no federal requirement to renew either an ESA or PSD letter, but many landlords, HOAs, and universities ask for updated documentation each lease term or academic year. If yours does, we'll match you back with a therapist for follow-up sessions and issue updated documentation.

Yes. Most household animals, including dogs, cats, and small pets, can be documented as your emotional support animal if a licensed therapist determines that your bond with them supports your mental health. There's no training requirement, and no breed restrictions.

Your intake information and your sessions are confidential, protected by HIPAA and standard therapist-client privilege. Your landlord, HOA, or university only ever sees your final letter, which confirms your qualifying condition without naming your specific diagnosis. Nothing beyond the letter is shared without your permission.

Landlords can generally verify your ESA letter by confirming it was issued by a licensed mental health professional, but they cannot ask for details about your specific diagnosis. If you worked with Emma & Buddy, we can help confirm your letter's authenticity if needed.

No. Under the Fair Housing Act, ESAs are not classified as pets, so landlords generally cannot charge pet fees, pet deposits, or monthly pet rent for a qualifying ESA. They can still hold you responsible for actual damage the animal causes, the same as any other tenant.

Start by putting your request and your letter in writing, and cite your rights under the Fair Housing Act explicitly. If your landlord still refuses, you can file a complaint and pursue a private FHA lawsuit, or consult a housing attorney. Denials that violate the FHA can carry real consequences for the landlord.

The Fair Housing Act is the federal law that protects people with disabilities from housing discrimination. For ESA and PSD renters, it requires most landlords, property managers, and HOAs to consider your reasonable accommodation request, even in "no pets" buildings, and generally prohibits pet fees, deposits, and breed-based restrictions for documented ESAs and PSDs.

If you have a PSD, this update doesn't affect you. PSDs are ADA-covered service animals, not the untrained ESAs HUD deprioritized. For ESA renters, your letter still works and your right to request a reasonable accommodation is still intact. Here's what actually changed in May 2026: HUD said it will focus its enforcement priorities on trained service animals rather than untrained ESAs. The Fair Housing Act itself did not change. Landlords are still legally required to consider your accommodation request, and if they refuse, private FHA lawsuits and state ESA laws are still available paths.

For ESAs, airlines stopped treating emotional support animals as service animals in 2021. Most airlines now handle ESAs as pets, subject to standard pet policies and in-cabin fees. Check your specific airline's rules before booking.

For PSDs, task-trained psychiatric service dogs are still recognized as service animals under U.S. Department of Transportation rules. Airlines can require the DOT service animal form (completed by you and your therapist) but generally do not charge fees for a documented service animal. Confirm your airline's specific process before your flight.

Most universities recognize ESA letters as part of their housing accommodations process. You submit your letter to the disability or housing services office, and they follow their internal review, typically 1 to 3 weeks. Our documentation is formatted for university review, and our team can help you understand what your specific school requires. See ESA letters for college for campus-specific guidance.

No. ESA rights are limited to housing under the Fair Housing Act. Dining halls, classrooms, libraries, and other campus buildings are not covered. If you need your animal with you across campus, a psychiatric service dog under the ADA is the alternative, though it requires task training and a higher qualification bar.

A Psychiatric Service Dog (PSD) letter documents a psychiatric disability that substantially limits a major life activity, alongside your dog's task training to help mitigate the disability. Unlike an ESA, a PSD is covered by the ADA (broad public access rights) plus the Fair Housing Act. The qualification bar is higher, and the dog must be task-trained.

For an Emma & Buddy PSD letter, qualification is based on whether you have a psychiatric disability that substantially limits a major life activity. Your licensed therapist evaluates this during your sessions. Task training is a separate component that establishes your dog's status as a service animal under the ADA. The letter and the training are evaluated separately.

Not necessarily beforehand, but both components need to be in place when you rely on your ADA access rights. The PSD letter documents your qualifying disability. Task training establishes your dog's status as a service animal under the ADA. Some people get the letter first and then work on task training; others do it in parallel.

PSDs have broad public access rights under the ADA: restaurants, stores, transit, workplaces, hotels, and other public accommodations. ESAs are limited to housing accommodations under the Fair Housing Act. Airlines have separate rules and generally treat PSDs as service animals subject to specific documentation requirements.