Finding an apartment is much easier with a service animal than with a regular pet.
That’s because service animals are considered assistance animals that perform specific tasks or provide emotional support for their disabled owners.
Their status protects service animals from pet deposits, and landlords can’t deny you housing—in most circumstances.
Learn your rights as a service animal owner, exceptions to the rule, and when, if ever, you’ll need to pay pet fees.
Do I Have to Pay a Pet Deposit for Service Animals?
No, landlords and housing providers aren’t allowed to charge a pet deposit to owners of service animals. The Federal Fair Housing Act prohibits landlords from discriminating based on any disability. Service animals are classified as assistance animals to help people with physical or mental health disabilities.
This ruling states that it would be discriminatory and unfair to charge a person a deposit or fee due to their disability for having a service animal. A service dog is necessary for the owner to overcome physical and emotional challenges.
The same protection follows you when you travel. Just as a landlord cannot charge a pet deposit, a hotel cannot charge a pet fee or cleaning fee for a service dog either.
Service dogs can support their owners in many ways. For example, they may serve as guides for visually impaired people or provide emotional stability to those with mental health issues.
In most circumstances, service animals are limited to dogs. Owners don’t need to pay a pet deposit for these animals.
However, one exception to the rule is that miniature horses also can qualify as service animals. They don’t need to pay a pet deposit, but their size could exempt them from accommodations in housing.
You do not automatically owe your housing provider paperwork. The Fair Housing Act requires a housing provider to make a reasonable accommodation to a no-pets policy for an assistance animal, and a trained service dog is the strongest case there is. Where both your disability and the dog’s disability-related role are obvious — a guide dog, for example — nothing further is needed. Where one of them is not obvious or already known to the provider, they may ask for reliable information about that point, and a short letter from a treating professional confirming a disability and describing what the dog does is normally enough. You should not have to hand over your full medical file. What a provider may not do is charge a pet deposit or pet fee for an assistance animal, because it is not a pet.
When submitting your rental appliance at the new apartment, we recommend having your documentation ready for your landlord. Taking a proactive approach demonstrates that you’re willing to respect their policies as long as they don’t violate your human rights. Having an informed dialogue will go a long way in showing your property manager that you’ll be a great tenant.
It’s also worth noting that the pet deposit clause doesn’t include other fees that landlords can charge. The landlord can still charge a security deposit and seek money from the tenant if there are any damages done to the home by the animal.
Also, any nuisance issue that the animal causes can be grounds for removing the animal from the premises through legal proceedings. Owners are still held responsible for the action of their assistance animals.
Can a Landlord Refuse a Service Dog?
No. A landlord cannot refuse a trained service dog, and no certification is needed — there is no official registry, and access rests on the dog’s training. They cannot charge a monthly pet fee or an initial pet deposit, and they cannot deny the dog based on its breed or weight. A landlord can act if a specific animal has actually caused harm.
Property managers can only legally refuse a service dog if they can prove that the pet would:
- Cause property damage
- Impose an undue administrative or financial burden
- Pose a threat to the safety and health of others
- Change the operations of the housing provider
A landlord can ask you to put your accommodation request in writing, and doing so is a good idea because it gives you a record. But a written request on the landlord’s preferred form is not a precondition — you can ask verbally, and the request still counts.
A landlord cannot require a letter from your vet about the dog’s health as the price of an accommodation. Where your disability or the dog’s role is not obvious, they may ask for reliable information on that point — not your medical records, and not a clean bill of health for the dog.
Fortunately, the Americans with Disabilities Act protects people with disabilities. If the landlord denied your request for reasonable accommodation, you could request that the government agency further investigate your case. You could have a case of the landlord discriminating against you and your assistance animal. Make sure to document everything and only communicate through email.
If you are the victim of discrimination for a housing-related matter, you can file a complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and they will look into your claim.
What Does the Federal Fair Housing Act Say?
The Fair Housing Act (FHA) is a federal law that protects people with disabilities. It prohibits discrimination against tenants within their homes. Specifically, the FHA requires landlords to provide reasonable accommodation for assistance animals, including service animals. Even if the lease restricts pets, landlords still must allow them.
Under the FHA and Section 504, the housing provider permits the service animal if:
- The tenant can prove their disability.
- Accommodating the service animal request wouldn’t place an undue burden on the landlord or alter the premises.
If the landlord refuses to offer reasonable accommodation without valid exemption, they could be subject to suffer any consequences for discrimination under the Fair Housing Act.
Emotional support animals sit in a different position than they did a few years ago. The Fair Housing Act itself has not changed, and courts recognised emotional support animals as reasonable accommodations long before HUD issued its 2020 guidance — but HUD withdrew that guidance in 2025 and, since May 2026, pursues complaints mainly where the animal is individually trained to do disability-related work. A trained service dog is therefore on the firmest ground. Emotional support animal handlers still have a private right to sue, Section 504 protection in federally assisted housing, and in many states a separate state law that does not depend on training.
What Are the Exceptions to the Rule?
There are some exceptions to the Federal Fair Housing Act. The act covers all types of housing except:
- Single-family homes rented or sold by the owner without a broker
- Rental dwellings of four or fewer units, where the owner is occupying one unit
- Housing owned by religious organizations or private clubs that restrict occupancy to their members
Do your research before you begin searching for a place to live. And always ensure your landlord agrees upon signing a lease.
Register Your Service Dog with SDRA Today!
With 500,000 service dogs in the US, service animals have become essential companions to help people with disabilities to overcome their daily challenges and live independently.
Navigating the rental landscape can be difficult. It’s vital to learn about your rights to protect yourself from landlords or property managers who make misinformed decisions or try to discriminate against you for your disability.
Fortunately, the laws and regulations in place will help you find a new place to live without discrimination.
If you’re considering getting a service animal, Service Dog Registration of America (SDRA) helps you to register your pet as a service animal for free. We provide all the resources to help navigate life with service animals.
Register your service dog with SDRA today!