A Texas ESA letter for your home

What the letter is for

Most Texas leases restrict animals in some way: a flat no-pets rule, a weight cap, a breed list or a one-pet limit. A reasonable accommodation is a request to have one of those rules adjusted because of a disability. Property Code §301.025(c)(2) treats an unjustified refusal of that kind of request as discrimination, and the matching federal regulation, 24 CFR 100.204, points the same way.

Your ESA letter is the supporting paperwork for that request. It tells the housing provider, in plain terms, that a licensed clinician has evaluated you and believes your animal makes a real difference for a condition that limits you.

The letter is built around housing. It isn't meant for employers, airlines or businesses that serve the public, and we don't market it for those uses.

Who usually asks us for one

Texans come to us at all kinds of turning points. Some are signing a first apartment lease in San Antonio and want to bring the cat that got them through a hard year. Others have lived with a dog for a decade and just moved into a complex with a strict animal policy. Students heading into campus housing in College Station or Denton often need documentation for a disability office before the semester starts.

What they share is a condition that makes daily life harder and an animal that genuinely helps. The letter exists to put that connection on paper in a way a property manager can rely on.

What you'll find on the page

A useful letter is one a property manager can read in a minute and verify in five. Ours includes:

• Your full name and the signing date
• A plain sentence confirming you live with a disability your animal helps with
• Which animal, or animals, you're asking to keep
• The clinician's name and signature, plus their credential, license number and licensing state
• A way for the property office to reach us and check that the letter is real

What stays private

Your diagnosis does not appear on the letter. Under the 2004 joint guidance from HUD and the Justice Department, which remains in force, a landlord facing a request tied to a disability that isn't visible can ask for trustworthy proof of the need. As a rule, though, they shouldn't probe what the condition is or how severe it is.

If a property manager asks for medical records, a list of medications or a full diagnosis, you can politely point out that the letter already confirms the need and offer to have them verify the clinician's license instead.

How Texas law handles ESA requests

Chapter 301 of the Property Code, the Texas Fair Housing Act, never uses the word "animal." ESA requests fall under its general accommodation rule, and complaints are handled by the civil rights staff at TWC. The agency gives you one year from the discriminatory act to file, and §301.151 separately lets you sue in court within two years.

Texas's misrepresentation law is a separate matter. Human Resources Code §121.006 targets people who knowingly claim an untrained animal has been specially trained to help someone with a disability. It says nothing about ESA letters, so honest paperwork that calls your ESA an ESA doesn't come near it.

Where the letter carries less weight

Be realistic about the limits. HUD's May 22, 2026 memo ended the federal presumption that a pet-policy waiver for an untrained ESA is reasonable. Each request now stands on its own facts, and HUD also questioned its old stance that ESA households were always exempt from pet fees.

Certain Texas housing is outside Chapter 301's accommodation rule. Under §301.041, the exemption reaches certain houses leased directly by an owner holding three or fewer single-family homes with no broker involved, and properties of four or fewer units when the owner occupies one of them.

Section 301.025(f) also lets a landlord turn away an animal that would directly endanger other people or seriously damage their property. Whatever happens, repairs for harm your animal actually does are on you.

Getting your letter

1. Book onlineChoose a phone or video time. Booking is free and you'll answer a short questionnaire first.
2. Meet your clinicianExpect a focused conversation of five to ten minutes on what you deal with day to day and what your animal changes.
3. Receive or don'tIf the clinician approves, the signed PDF tends to show up within hours, and that's when billing happens. If not, there's no charge.
4. Send it to your landlordAttach the letter to a short written accommodation request and keep a copy of everything you send.

Handing it to your landlord

Put your request in writing, even if you also mention it in person. A few sentences are enough: who you are, which unit, which animal, and that you'd like the animal rules adjusted as an accommodation for a disability. Attach the letter and ask for a written reply.

Many Texas apartment communities use Texas Apartment Association lease forms, including an Animal Addendum, and a manager may hand you one to sign. That's routine. Read every line, save copies and jot down when each message went out. If a manager wants to confirm the letter, the clinician's license details are right there for them. A Texas license can be checked on the Texas Medical Board site or with the Behavioral Health Executive Council, which covers counselors, social workers, psychologists and marriage and family therapists. A clinician licensed in another state is checked through that state's board instead.

We don't claim any particular clinician holds a Texas license; the booking page shows who is available to see Texas residents.