Are you concerned about a potential or current tenant giving you false assistance animal documentation? Yes, we were to for a while. The number of letters and notes we have received over the years from both legitimate and not so legitimate sources has skyrocketed in the last few years.

How can you know when an assistance animal letter is truly legitimate?

Well, thanks to a recent investigation led by HUD with the help of NARPM members and several lobbyists in our industry, websites that sell assistance animal documentation are under a microscope. While there is no “quick fix” to this epidemic of false documentation it certainly helps to weed out a tremendous amount of potentially false documents that can be purchased across the internet leaving property managers to sift through the legitimacy of the documentation while also being able to identify a tenant with a true need for an assistance animal.

What can you do to protect your investment?

Here is a list of items you can request from a current or potential tenant when it comes to assistance animals and/or pets.

• Letter from a medical professional or a person in a position to know, dated within the last 12 months.
• Verification that the animal is current on all shots/vaccinations.
• Verification that the animal is licensed in accordance with city or state law.
• You can ask; what service does the animal perform? (It is illegal to ask what the persons disability is.)

Here at RentWise, we use a third-party screening company called petscreening.com to verify assistance animals and/or pets. They gather all the proper documentation and ask the questions allowed by the ADA. It is a free service for anyone who has an assistance animal and a minimal cost to anyone who has pets.

If you are interested in reading more about this investigation we have provided the press release link below.

https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_19_162 

Would you like to learn more about our services and how owning a rental property can be LESS HASSLE, MORE HAPPY? Visit our website at www.RentWisePM.com or call us at 208-949-3083.

What is a reasonable accommodation request? By definition, under the Fair Housing Act, the housing provider is responsible for the costs associated with a reasonable accommodation unless it is an undue financial and administrative burden, while the tenant or someone acting on the tenant’s behalf, is responsible for costs associated with a reasonable modification.

What does this mean for you as an investor?

It means that to be in compliance with ADA we must consider any and all requests for modifications or accommodations to a premises that a tenant makes either before or during their tenancy. Such as a ramp, safety bars, change in administrative accommodations or other physical modifications to a property.

Who pays for the modification?

This depends on the request. Typically a homeowner would pay for a physical modification UNLESS it would be deemed an undue financial burden. For example: A disabled applicant in a wheelchair wants to rent a particular home due to it’s location to his medical providers, he will need ramps installed at least one doorway for access to the home. The owner of the property would be responsible for that cost. Another example, a current tenant had a medical issue during tenancy that requires additional support rails installed in the bathroom.

What do you do if you receive a request for a reasonable accommodation or modification?

This answer is not just black or white. There are several factors to be considered and each request needs to be reviewed carefully. Our recommendation is to speak with either your attorney or your property manager. You can review more information and guidelines on this by clicking here.

If you are interested in learning more about our services. Please visit our website at www.RentWisePM.com. Ready to start living with LESS HASSLE? MORE HAPPY! give us a call today 208-949-3083