If a tenant's dog is prescribed for a disability, what is the landlord required to consider under federal fair housing laws?

Under federal fair housing laws, if a tenant's dog is prescribed for a disability, it is considered an assistance animal. This distinction is crucial because assistance animals, which include emotional support animals, are not classified as pets. As such, they are granted specific rights meant to support individuals with disabilities.

Landlords are required to provide reasonable accommodations for tenants with disabilities, which includes allowing these assistance animals, regardless of any no-pet policies that may be in place. This helps ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to housing and the necessary support that their assistance animals provide.

In contrast, treating the dog as a pet or requiring a pet deposit fails to acknowledge the special status of assistance animals under the law. Additionally, the option that allows a landlord to deny the request for any reason is inconsistent with fair housing regulations, which mandate that reasonable accommodations must be considered unless it poses an undue hardship.