Name: ESA Letter
Brand: Pettable
Price: 149.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.8 (4340 reviews)

Frequently Asked Questions

Emotional Support Animal Overview

What would count as an emotional support animal?

An emotional support animal provides comfort to help relieve a symptom or effect related to a person's disability. Also, there is no animal or breed restrictions for ESA's as long as it is reasonable and justified.

Note that being an emotional support animal is not the same as being a service animal (like seeing-eye dogs). These types of animals have stricter criteria that must be met, including different forms of training such as obedience public access and disability training. These additional trainings are necessary since service dogs have public access and travel rights, unlike emotional support animals who are only protected under housing rights.

ESA's do not have public access or travel rights, so it's best to check with individual business guidelines to see if they allow ESA's. Additionally, you can train your dog to become a PSD (psychiatric service dog) in order to have public access and travel rights.

How do I know if I qualify for an Emotional Support Animal?

The general criteria is to have some emotional or psychological condition that is improved by having an animal that provides support. Conditions may include depression, generalized anxiety, paranoia, insomnia, and others. And remember, Emotional Support Animals do not require special training!

Only a licensed mental health professional is qualified to determine if you meet the criteria. Through our service, you can speak directly with a qualified mental health professional in the state where you reside. Pettable connects you with a licensed mental health profession for a consultation to determine if you qualify for an ESA. Unlike, some less legitimate services, we do not provide letters for fee, but instead we connect you to a professional for an honest evaluation.

What does the ESA process look like at Pettable?

Step 1: Once payment is submitted, a member of the Pettable team will reach out to you via email, within 24 hours, to begin the process of booking your ESA consultation. This email will include forms for you to sign (HIPPA disclosure, consent to tele-health and consent to terms of service). Signing these forms is important because this lets us connect you with one of our therapists licensed in your state.

Step 2: When you have signed and submitted your forms, you will receive a scheduling link that will allow you to book your consultation with one of our therapists at a time that is convenient for you.

Step 3: Your therapist will let you know if you have been approved to receive an ESA letter at the end of your consultation. If approved you will receive an ESA letter within 24 hours.

If for any reason you are not approved we will refund your entire purchase.

Get your official ESA Letter

How do I know my letter will work?

When you take our quiz we collect information to match you with a therapist that has experience with your case and can meet your specific needs.
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Additionally, to our knowledge, Pettable is the only provider that offers a full Money Back Guarantee - meaning if you do not qualify for a letter after your consultation or your landlord does not accept it after filing a complaint with the HUD, then we’ll refund 100% of your purchase.
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We have experience with every kind of ESA situation - multiple pets, breed restrictions, weight/size restrictions, traveling across state lines, immediate turnaround, international/domestic travel, etc. We are confident we can help you with your specific ESA needs and if we can't, we will refund your money 100%. See our Money Back Guarantee FAQ for more information.

Can you confirm that this is legal?

Our Emotional Support Animal (ESA) Letters are fully compliant with the Air Carrier Access Act and the Fair Housing Act. These are the two primary laws the dictate the terms by which individuals like you may leverage an ESA Letter for mental health purposes and live with a designated emotional support animal in situations where you otherwise would not be able to.

We employ a vetted network of licensed and qualified mental health professionals who possess the credentials necessary to write a certified ESA Letter.

Our website is also HIPAA Compliant, ensuring that your information is protected according to nationally mandated federal law.

What makes your ESA Letters legitimate?

Licensed Professional In Your State - All of our Licensed Mental Health Professionals are fully qualified and have passed board exams. The LMHP we select will be one that is legally qualified to approve ESA Letters for your state.

‍Phone Consultation - Our professionals will reach out to you to setup a phone consultation and establish a relationship.This gives our professionals the authority and basis for prescribing you an ESA letter.

‍Compliant Letters - The ESA Letter is issued directly from a LMHP with their license number and their contact information included. The letter will come on the professional letterhead of the Licensed Mental Health Professional and contain everything legally required for an ESA prescription within the body of the letter.

What happens if my landlord wants to validate that my letter is legitimate?

No problem, we've got your back!

Our mental health professionals and customer support team here at Pettable are available to get on a call with your landlord should they want to validate the legitimacy of your letter.

Should your landlord request a validation of your letter, please have them reach out to your therapist using the contact information on your ESA letter.

If your landlord would also like to speak to our customer support team, please have them reach out to 855-920-0323 or [email protected].

In the unlikely event that your letter does not work as intended and we've tried to make it work with the landlord we will refund your purchase 100%.

How long does the process take from start to finish and how quickly will I get my ESA letter?

We can turn around an ESA letter in as fast as 24 hours! If you need it this quickly make sure to choose our "Express Service." You can select this option at checkout.

To ensure the fastest turn around possible, it is important that you sign and submit our consent forms. These forms are sent via email by a member of the Pettable team once payment is submitted.

Signing these forms allows us to connect you with a therapist in your state.

We have an extensive network of mental health professionals, licensed across states, with wide range of availability and can route you to someone that is able to meet your timeline needs.

Once a consultation is concluded, letters are turned around within 24 hours and most of the time much more quickly than that.

If I qualify, how would I go about getting an emotional support animal?

After speaking with a licensed mental health professional and receiving your own ESA Letter, all you need to do is designate which animal will be your specific emotional support animal. It can be any breed or species, whether an existing pet or a new pet you adopt or rescue. You do not need to go to any specific breeder or place to acquire one.

Are there benefits to having an Emotional Support Animal?

Absolutely! There is research and data that support the theory that animals provide substantial and measurable emotional support. If you're thinking about the benefits of an emotional support animal, you can learn more by researching online or talking to qualified mental health professionals in our network.

What is on your ESA letter?

Our ESA letters contain the following:

The official letterhead of the mental health professional.
Their business, contact information, and signature.
Their license information which allows anyone to check the status of their license.
Their confirmation that you meet the definition of a disability and recommendation for an emotional support animal.

I'm not familiar with the Fair Housing Act – what is it?

The Fair Housing Act requires housing providers such as landlords or management companies to allow the possession of animals that work, provide assistance for, or perform tasks that benefit individuals with qualified medical disabilities – or that provide emotional support to individuals to reduce a symptom or effect of a disability.

The Fair Housing Act also requires individuals, who wish to possess a service or support animal, to follow specific criteria relevant to the type of support needed.

For an emotional support animal, the individual has to speak with a licensed mental health professional in the state they reside and receive a prescription of an ESA Letter in order to qualify.

Do I need to renew my ESA letter?

Although the Fair Housing Act and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development does not specify guidance around the issue of ESA letter expiration, we recommend that you renew your ESA letter annually for a few reasons:

Landlords or property managers may refuse to accept an ESA letter that is expired. Renewing your letter enables you to provide current documentation that verifies your need for an emotional support animal as still relevant.
Clinicians may not validate an ESA letter that is expired in the event a landlord or property manager reaches out to verify. An annual consultation with a clinician to discuss your needs for an ESA letter is advised in order to keep licensed professional recommendations current.

Renewing your letter is easy through our seamless consultation process.

Renew Your ESA Letter

How do your consultations work?

Federal and state laws require a live consultation over the phone, video, or in person to properly vet and qualify an individual to warrant an ESA Letter.

To ensure our ESA letter are compliant, all of our consultations are conducted live over the phone in order to meet the legal standards set forth and assure the validity of your letter.

To get an ESA Letter, do I have to talk with a mental health professional?

Yes. Federal and state laws require a live consultation over the phone, video, or in person to properly vet and qualify an individual to warrant an ESA Letter. Since the letter grants privileges about keeping a pet in a place that otherwise would not allow it, base guidelines must be met to qualify.

Would an existing pet qualify as an Emotional Support Animal?

Yes. An emotional support animal can be any breed or species as long as it supports an emotional or psychological condition.

Since emotional support animals do not require any training, your childhood pet or newly adopted animal can qualify.

Can I qualify multiple pets with the same ESA letter?

Yes, you can register multiple pets on the same ESA letter. At Pettable we can accommodate up to two pets per letter for no additional charge.

According to the American Disabilities Act your request for multiple animals must be "reasonable".
An example of an unreasonable request is if you want four great danes registered as ESAs and you live in a tiny apartment.

In order to make sure we're meeting the standard of "reasonable" Pettable is able to accommodate up to two pets per letter as long as you meet the criteria to warrant an ESA letter.

At the end of the day it is a judgement call but we want to make sure that you are covered in any situation you're in, which is why we've set this policy.

My landlord says I can't keep my pet despite having a legitimate ESA letter. What do I do?

Once you have a proper ESA Letter, your landlord is required by the Fair Housing Act to allow you to keep your designated emotional support animal with you at your place of residence.

Sometimes landlords create barriers for individuals in attempt to refrain from accommodating legitimate ESA's. If this occurs please reach out to your assigned mental health professional to validate or assist in verifying your legitimate ESA letter.

What does an ESA Letter let me do?

An ESA Letter allows you to possess an emotional support animal of your choosing within any housing you decide to live, regardless of if pets are permitted by the landlord or management company. If a landlord questions this, you can point them to the Fair Housing Act, which lays this out explicitly. If you have an ESA Letter from us, they cannot deny you having an emotional support animal.

How does the Money Back Guarantee work?

Pettable is the only referral site that offers a Money Back Guarantee encompassing a full 100% refund for two reasons: (1) if you do not qualify for a letter after your consultation or (2) your landlord does not accept it after filing a complaint with the HUD. The details: Our refund and cancellation policy ensures that our team of licensed mental health professionals are effectively allocating their support to those in need. Once signed, your order is non-refundable, unless you meet the following two reasons: (1) you do not qualify for an ESA letter after your consultation as determined by the licensed mental health professional or (2) if your landlord does not accept your ESA letter after filing a complaint with HUD.

Are there scam's out there I need to be aware of?

Unfortunately, yes. We've come across a number of fraudulent sites that claim to offer ESA Letters, but whose letters are not legitimate, nor comply with US federal and state laws.

The most common type of fraud we've seen are in particular sites that claim to certify service animals (different from emotional support animals) without requiring any formal testing or accreditation typical for that process. The US has cracked down on these forms of fraud. Now they will enact hefty fines – or even jail time – for caught offenders.

These are the clues you should be on the lookout for to spot a scam:
The service does NOT require you to speak with someone live over the phone – All legitimate ESA Letter providers are required by law to ensure that you speak with a licensed mental health professional over the phone or video. If a service asks you to answer questions using a quiz or "exam" but doesn't ask you to schedule a live consultation after, it is probably a scam. Pettable is not a purchase-diagnosis webiste, but instead refers you to a lisenced professional who conducts a live evaluation and provides a legitimate ESA letter per their professional descretion.

What our pet parents are saying

Verified customers. Real reviews.

I had an incredible experience with Pettable. I had just moved and was looking for a new therapist, but knew an ESA would really help me with the transition, so I came to Pettable to get documentation so I didn’t have to wait months to get approval from my landlord to bring a pet home. The process was straightforward, timely, and made me feel so valid in my journey. Now I am raising a puppy and never been happier and healthier! I can’t recommend Pettable enough!

“The process was straightforward, timely, and made me feel so valid in my journey.

Maddee W. Dog parent

5.0

An image of a man with a dog in his backpack

My pup provides relief in stressful situations, particularly when I'm away on necessary travel. Pettable was an amazing resource, connecting me with a therapist who listened to my situation and provided advice above and beyond. I could hear Rhiana's compassion over our call and appreciated her patience. Grateful for this service!"

“I could hear Rhiana's compassion over our call and appreciated her patience.

Austin K. Dog parent

You were very attentive and I’m very satisfied with the provider I was assigned with, thank you again for helping relieve the stress of not being able to take my furry baby to our new home."

“Thank you again for helping relieve the stress.

Lauren M. Cat parent

Meet our Selected Therapists

19 Reviews

Bolutife "Bolu", LCSW-S, MPA

Licensed Therapist
Equipped with over 13 years, Bolu has worked with various populations (adolescents, couples, families, and adults), but finds passion in working with the BIPOC community suffering from trauma.

Shaunae, M.S., LPC

Licensed Therapist
I have worked in the mental health field for 10 years with experience across diverse populations and communities. I’m dedicated to ensuring the best care possible.

32 Reviews

Michael, LPC, LCDC

Licensed Therapist
I graduated from UT Dallas with my BA in Psychology, University of the Southwest with my MS in counseling, and California Southern University with my PsyD in Psychology, but have been an LPC and LCDC since 2011.

Jasmine, LCMHC

Licensed Therapist
I graduated with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Psychology. I completed my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Since graduating, I have been working in private practice.

29 Reviews

Rhiana, MA, LPC, LAC

Licensed Professional Counselor
I primarily work with people experiencing homelessness. I began doing emotional support evaluations to increase housing access to all.

23 Reviews

Melissa, LCSW

Licensed Clinical Social Worker
I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Substance Abuse Counselor. I graduated from the Catholic University's National Catholic School of Social Service with a Master of Social Work.

ESA Letters in Virginia

As Seen On Newsweek, Thrillist, CBS & 100+ Sites:

How to Get an ESA Letter in Virginia Online

Our fast and simple process:

3-minute assessment

Consult with a therapist

Get your ESA letter

Emotional Support Animals in Virginia

ESA Laws in Virginia

Virginia ESA Housing Laws

Virginia Fair Housing & Employment Act

How Do You Qualify for an ESA in Virginia?

Why Pettable?

Why Pettable?

Why Pettable is the Best Online ESA Provider in Virginia

What our pet parents are saying

Meet our Selected Therapists

Frequently Asked Questions

Emotional Support Animal Overview

Life feels so much better with an emotional support animal.

Schedule your ESA Letter consultation today.