Wednesday, March 18, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Emotional support animal?
Dear
Property Guy
By Mike Zoormajian
Dear Property Guy,
I have a <no-pets< policy
in my rental. I have a new
tenant who just announced
that her emotional support
dog would be joining her. She
also showed me some paper-
work that said I had to take it.
What9s the deal here?
4 No. Just no.
Dear No:
Welcome to the glamorous
world of being a rental owner.
Because your property just
became a dog-friendly zone.
Before we get started,
please know that it could be
worse. In addition to dogs:
cats, goats, horses, rabbits,
snakes, pigs, and hedgehogs
can all be emotional support
animals (ESA). Most recently
a dustup between an airline
passenger, her emotional
support peacock, and United
Airlines, led the Department
of Transportation (DOT) to
begin restricting service ani-
mals on airplanes. So we got
that going for us.
This whole deal all starts
with the Federal Fair Housing
Act (FHA), which bans dis-
crimination in housing on the
basis of race, color, religion,
sex, national origin, familial
status, and disability. FHA
requires landlords to make
reasonable accommodations
to give tenants equal opportu-
nity to use and enjoy a dwell-
ing. Keep the disability part
in mind here.
Next, we ha v e th e
Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA). The ADA pro-
hibits discrimination against
individuals with disabilities
in all areas of public life.
The ADA defines a person
with a disability as a person
who has a physical or mental
impairment that substantially
limits one or more major life
activities.
Finally, we get to how
assistance animals are
defined, which is: an animal
that works, provides assis-
tance, or performs tasks for
the benefit of a person with
a disability, or that provides
emotional support that alle-
viates one or more identified
effects of a person9s disability.
So you smash this all
together and you get the fact
any disabled person can9t be
turned away from housing
because of their service or
emotional support animal.
You don9t have to like it. But
there it is.
A property owner does
have the right to ask for
documentation proving the
owner is in need of the emo-
tional support animal. This
is normally an Emotional
Support Assistance letter
from a licensed mental-health
professional. Key word
<Licensed.= There are about
a million online sites from
which one can order a bogus
ESA letter.
To all the other follow-
up questions, the answer is
<No.= No, you cannot charge
additional rent. No you can-
not charge additional deposit.
No, you cannot ask about
their disability. No, you can-
not ask or require the animal
to have specific training.
And, no, you cannot refuse
them because their insurance
doesn9t cover the animal.
You can refuse them if
their animal would create an
<undue financial or admin-
istrative burden.= The exact
meaning of that phrase is
very case-by-case.
My best advice? Go meet
your new friend. Bring some
doggie snacks, be thankful it9s
not a goat, and enjoy the ride.
4 Mike
Mike Zoormajian is prin-
cipal at WetDog Properties
in Sisters. Questions, com-
ments: letters@wetdogpnw.
com. Free legal advice is
worth what you pay for it.
Consult a real attorney before
doing anything crazy.
COMMUNITY: Reach out
to help others in our
small community
Continued from page 6
Parents with children may
need you to make a grocery
run for them, or a trip to the
pharmacy.
An elderly person might
need you to get their mail or
maybe just drag their garbage
pails to the curb.
If thoughts of helping
other people overwhelm you,
try to help just one neigh-
bor 4 that person can look
out for you, too. Think about
the people closest to your
home, on your block, in your
neighborhood.
A <Get Well Soon= note
can brighten a person9s day.
Volunteer: this county has
many great organizations that
could use an extra hand sup-
porting those who are ill or
recovering.
If you have the
means, donate to a useful
organization.
17
Clean your home or
place of work and be relent-
less at keeping surfaces
sanitary. Pay extra atten-
tion to those places that you
or others touch frequently
such as counters, chairs,
phones, door handles, key-
pads, remote controls and of
course, restroom surfaces.
If you touch something,
leave it cleaner than before
you touched it.
Cold and flu season gen-
erally comes to a halt some-
time in April and there are
several theories as to why:
more people are outside,
which offers us the healing
power of vitamin D from the
sun. It also means we spend
less time in confined areas
where a virus can more eas-
ily spread.
So dress properly for the
weather and go for a walk or
a hike 4 even a drive in the
country with the windows
rolled down a bit can help
your attitude.
And help those people
whom you can help the
most.
Formerly y Bigfoot
g f
Wellness
Get ready for
outdoor activities
with a solid
foundation!
Mon.-Sat., Some Evening
Appointments Available
SCHEDULE ONLINE:
www.blackbutte
chiropractic.com
541-389-9183
392 E. Main Ave., Sisters
CHECK OUT
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