Can I get a certificate?
A quick trip around the Internet reveals many companies offering unnecessary Emotional Support Animal certificates, providing “an official document” after completion of a simple online form and payment.
As HUD General Counsel Paul Compton states, “These websites are using questionable business practices that exploit consumers, prejudice the legal rights of individuals with disabilities, dupe landlords, and generally interfere with good faith efforts to comply with the requirements of the Fair Housing Act.”
Unwitting consumers do not realize that these practices are illegitimate, while ethically flexible individuals hope to save a few bucks on pet fees and animal deposits.