Getting an ESA letter in Houston

Why Houston works differently

Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth each have a city body that HUD lists in its Fair Housing Assistance Program, meaning a local office there can take on discrimination cases under an ordinance HUD considers equivalent to federal law. Houston isn't on that list. There's no Houston fair housing ordinance with its own investigators.

That doesn't leave Houston renters with fewer rights. The Texas Fair Housing Act, Property Code Chapter 301, applies the same way in Montrose as it does in Midland. Section 301.025(c)(2) treats refusing a reasonable accommodation for a disability as discrimination, and an emotional support animal request falls under that general duty. The statute never mentions animals, so an ESA is just one more kind of accommodation it can cover.

What changes is the path when things go wrong. Instead of filing with City Hall, a Houstonian chooses between TWC's Civil Rights Division and HUD, and sticks with one.

Using the city's fair housing hotline

Houston's Housing and Community Development Department runs a Fair Housing & Tenant/Landlord Hotline at 832-394-6200, extension 1, and takes email at fairhousing@houstontx.gov. Think of it as a switchboard. Staff can explain your options and refer you to HUD (800-669-9777), the Civil Rights Division at TWC (888-452-4778) or the Greater Houston Fair Housing Center.

Before you call, gather the paper trail so the conversation is quick and useful:

• Your lease and any animal or pet addendum you signed
• The date you sent your accommodation request and a copy of what you sent
• Every reply from the leasing office, including portal messages and screenshots
• The name of the management company, which is often different from the name on the building
• Any fee, deposit or rent increase the property tied to the animal

High-rises, garden complexes and rent houses

Renting in Houston can mean very different landlords. A tower near the Galleria or in Midtown usually has a leasing team, an online resident portal and a written animal policy with weight or breed limits. Send your request through the portal or by email so there's a timestamp, and attach your letter as a PDF.

Garden-style complexes out along the Beltway, in Katy or in Pearland tend to work the same way, though some suburbs are separate cities with their own rules on pet registration. The state accommodation duty follows you across city lines.

Single-family rent houses are where it gets less predictable. Texas law exempts an owner who has no more than three single-family houses and rents one out without a broker or agent and without discriminatory advertising (Property Code §301.041). If you're renting directly from an individual who owns one or two houses, ask a fair housing group how the state and federal rules apply to that owner before you assume either way.

Fees and deposits after May 2026

A HUD memo dated May 22, 2026 instructs federal investigators to look at each untrained-ESA request on its own facts instead of presuming it's reasonable, and it abandons HUD's earlier stance against charging for those animals. That memo changes how HUD enforces federal law. It didn't rewrite the Texas statute, and we haven't found TWC guidance saying whether the state agency will follow HUD's approach.

In practice, a Houston property may now ask for a deposit or monthly charge for an ESA and argue that's allowed. Ask for the fee in writing, compare it to the pet fees the property charges everyone, and raise it with the hotline if it looks like a penalty. You're responsible for real damage your animal causes either way.

University of Houston and Rice

At the University of Houston, emotional support animals are allowed only in University Housing, and requests run through the Justin Dart Jr. Student Accessibility Center, usually called the Dart Center. A student works with an Access Coordinator, and once approved, housing collects records that include City of Houston pet licensing. Start early so the animal isn't arriving before the approval does.

Rice students go through the Student Disability Resource Center. If you live off campus near either school, your landlord is a private housing provider, and the ordinary accommodation request to the leasing office is the route, not the campus disability office.

Flying from IAH or Hobby

Since a federal transportation rule kicked in on January 11, 2021, U.S. airlines have been free to handle ESAs under their pet rules. Whether you're leaving from George Bush Intercontinental or William P. Hobby, the letter doesn't buy your animal a free cabin seat. Read the carrier's pet section, including crate dimensions and charges, before buying tickets. Southwest, for example, stopped accepting ESAs on March 1, 2021, and carries some animals as paid pets.

Booking an evaluation from Houston

Our evaluations happen by video or phone, so Spring, Sugar Land and the East End are all the same appointment. The clinician asks how your symptoms shape an ordinary week and what role your animal plays. When an ESA is supported, a signed PDF is often in your inbox the same day.

Pricing is simple: $129 for a letter that names one or two animals, $199 when it names three or more. Scheduling is free, and your card is charged only after a clinician signs a letter for you.

Every letter lists the clinician's credential, license number and the state that granted it, and the booking page confirms a clinician is available for Texas. When things feel too heavy, 988 answers calls and texts at any hour, and 911 is the number for emergencies. The Harris Center's crisis line, 866-970-4770, also answers around the clock.