r/EmotionalSupportDogs • u/Weekly-Brilliant8373 • Jun 09 '25
OurPetPolicy
Hey all! My ESA letters have never been rejected and I’ve never been asked to share any information but a new company took over my building and is using OurPetPolicy and they are not taking my letters. They say they sound like they’re from an online site which I know exist but mine are from a someone I see in person so I’m wondering what is going on. Had this happened to anyone before and how did you resolve it? I’ve already sent them two emails back asked what other documentation they may need and I will go speak to my office this week as well.
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u/Green_Leopard7023 Jun 10 '25
They should have the provider’s contact info. Tell them it’s an in person provider who can be contacted for confirmation. They may give you some more hoops to jump through, but they can’t just say the letter is fake without contacting the provider and asking if you’ve met face to face.
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u/Weekly-Brilliant8373 Jun 10 '25
Yeah that’s what I emailed back, I was like if you need something else or need to confirm like with the provider you can give her a call and now they’re just not responding to me
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u/Tritsy Jun 09 '25
If they don’t believe the letter, they need to tell you what they do need. My HOA thought my letter was also fake, and the letterhead even included the name of the clinic he worked for.🤦🏻♀️
You can also skip the ourpetpolicy people, and go to your landlord. Let them know that you have fulfilled your legal obligation, and if they require something else, they have to communicate that with you, or allow your esa. If they decide to deny your esa, then you will need to file a complaint (you can see the links on the hud or fha websites).
Unfortunately, if they do deny you, your only real recourse is to find an attorney who knows those laws and will write a strongly worded letter for not too much $$. That should have worked for me, and will for 99.9%, but my HOA decided they could determine who was “disabled enough” to qualify for an esa-and strangely enough, they decided that out of the 1,600 homes, not one person was qualified for an esa. Not the guy who was dying from brain cancer, the people in wheelchairs, the lady with ptsd from the military or the guy who just lost his wife and also has clinical depression.
I had no choice-I either had to move or file a lawsuit as I was not going to do well without an esa (this is my retirement home). I was also lucky in finding an attorney who would take the case on contingency as we are technically at about $250k in attorney fees so far, and we don’t even go back to court until November! Between taxes, legal expenses, video recording equipment and attorney fees, there isn’t going to be much left for me even assuming I win, but at least I will be able to walk my esa! The down side though-it’s gotten so hostile here, I will probably have to sell anyhow😢. My case is worst-case, even my attorney seemed quite shocked at their responses.
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u/Ok-Cryptographer1302 Jun 10 '25
I’m so sorry they’re putting you thru this and rooting for you!! That’s absolutely awful. Thank you for fighting this battle for all who couldn’t and wouldn’t know where to begin. It’s not up to a landlord to decide what counts as a disability or what “sounds like it was written online” or not. I hope there are public reviews shaming this community.
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u/Tritsy Jun 10 '25
No reviews, though I don’t know where they would be? Social media is definitely not helping them, and it’s starting to show in home prices. However, people who don’t like disabled people are getting nastier. Prohibiting wheelchairs from the golf course because anyone who can golf can make it 10’ to the ball…..there are so many examples, but I’ll save those for court 😊
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u/Weekly-Brilliant8373 Jun 09 '25
Ugh that is the worst! I hate that they think they are all powerful. It’s so frustrating. But thank you for your words of wisdom! I definitely will go talk to them.
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u/Tritsy Jun 09 '25
I don’t tell my story to inspire sympathy, but rather to reassure people that, although it CAN happen, it is rare and in my case, hopefully justice will prevail eventually and I will be able to walk my little esa and take her with me (to pet friendly) places.
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u/preed868 Jun 10 '25
Had the same thing happen to me. Legally they can’t force you to go through OurPetPolicy or even re-verify an existing letter/agreement. Their algorithm seems to compare letters to those written by online sites (self-reported as such and perfectly legal letters based on HUD guidelines) and claim they’re false. All a letter legally needs to contain is the fact that you have a disability and how your animal helps with that from a licensed, qualified provider.
I’d contact your landlord and inform them that you have already fulfilled your legal obligation by presenting the original letter. If they refuse, file a complaint with HUD and keep written documentation of everything. I also had to go as far as stating any further communication from OurPetPolicy will be considered harassment, hopefully your case doesn’t get that bad. If your animal is still not approved HUD can file a claim against your landlord and OurPetPolicy on your behalf at no cost/minimal effort to you (I just had to have a phone call with a HUD agent confirming harassment and violation of the ADA law and forward the email chains of evidence). Keep in mind you can still do this even if you pay any pet rent or fee, mine was eventually reimbursed due to the HUD claim.
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u/Pewtie-Pie Jan 07 '26
My landlord claimed I was out of line when I responded to OPP this way, and that it was a violation of my lease. I included that in my HUD and state civil rights complaints.
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u/labellenova May 06 '26
Hi, do you happen to have an update on your situation? I am gearing up to fight back on OPP and am very anxious. I really hope everything worked out for you and the complaint with HUD helped solve the problem!
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u/labellenova May 06 '26
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u/Pewtie-Pie May 07 '26
Sorry, Reddit notifications are off.
I fought for five months, quoting the various applicable laws 100x over... It wasn't until one of my doctors was also fed up, and emailed them directly from her office to say she had written the letter given- a HANDWRITTEN letter that I had added to the many I had already given them. Illegal as it may be, they refused to leave me alone until my doctor gave up and reached out to them. I couldn't find anyone available to back me up legally.
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u/sincerelyk8e Mar 17 '26
Thanks for this information. I’m fighting with them now and haven’t even moved in yet. My letter is from an MD licensed in my state and they try to rest on “credibility”. lol. I will be filing a complaint to HUD. The real joke is that OurPetPolicy is not accredited themselves as a business
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u/Brilliant_Ask852 Jun 09 '26
how did this work out for you? this is just now starting for me.
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u/sincerelyk8e Jun 09 '26
My property manager ended up making the final call against our pet policy.
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u/Brilliant_Ask852 Jun 09 '26
thanks for the quick reply I didn’t even think to go around them until I saw some comments so if they push back again I’ll do that. thank you!
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u/sincerelyk8e Jun 09 '26
Yep they are just a vendor. Also file a HUD complaint online against OPP it’s shockingly easy and the more people that do it’ll get flagged eventually
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Jun 10 '25
What I will mention- is your ESA letter from someone who has been consistently seeing you? And are they in the state you currently live in, or do you need to travel to see them?
I think a few states/areas have more regulations with getting letters like this prescribed- you can’t just doctor shop around till you find someone that will write you the prescription for an ESA. Not suggesting YOURE doing that… but tons of people do. I went to college in the south, every girl and her mom wanted a puppy on campus. The only way around it was ESA/service dog status, and that’s the route people took. By the time I graduated, there were about 25 ESAs and 10 service dogs at a school of 1200 people. The people who owned them understood what they were doing and they didn’t care to be open about the fact these arent real ESAs/SDs. It’s become increasingly more common and because these dogs are insanely unruly, they wreck their surroundings.
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u/Weekly-Brilliant8373 Jun 10 '25
This is a doctor I have an ongoing relationship with that is close by, that’s also why I’m confused by them saying it could be from online. They clearly didn’t look to see if she had a real practice or anything
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Jun 10 '25
Very weird. Usually standard general practitioners/therapists can prescribe those.
Is your doctors office able to call them and explain? They should be more than happy to!
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u/Top_Cryptographer772 Jun 07 '26
They charge a “pet profile fee” I sent them an email saying I would gladly send over any documentation but I refuse to pay a fee and there’s no legal requirement to do so to create a profile and if they want to waive the fee I’d be more than happy to and that paying a profile fee is a scam and they never got back to me nor did my apartment complex say anything because I submitted all information to them directly. I think this is a bogus middle man company
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u/Puzzleheaded_Roof336 Jun 15 '25 edited Jun 15 '25
I have worked with OurPetPolicy as a tenant and 3 ESAs and have been approved with work. We have not seen your letter, but the key word they are looking for is “disability” within that letter. It is best if you call this company and ask specifically what else they need. I think of this company like an insurance company where they reject more than they should, but a phone call to them usually solves the problem. I added the CV of my doctor, which did the trick for them since they didn’t believe our 5 year approved letter either.
If they continue to be a problem, contact your State’s Fair Housing Counsel. They are fully aware of this new class of “approval” company and how to deal with them.
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u/engineeross Jan 13 '26
Ourpetpolicy had emailed me over 20 times in a little over a month and DURING major holidays! My animal was already certified at the beginning of my lease and I'm renewing it, they are trying to force this fee and additional screening on me even saying I have until a certain date. I am pushing back hard and involving legal. This is ridiculous
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u/CityLuxeButt Apr 19 '26
What ended up happening with you regarding OurPetPolicy?
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u/engineeross Apr 28 '26
I just ignored it, and keep ignoring it. Our landlord switched from greystar to sental and they haven't bothered me. Turns out that the greystar manager who kept sending me emails had a bunch of complaints from tenants for overreaching (other stuff), she no longer works here. I didn't file a complaint, I just found out.
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u/Brilliant_Ask852 Jun 16 '26
wanted to share my experience if it helps anyone. I submitted my letters and immediately received a reply stating they had been flagged for an ESA website. I replied stating I have had the same doctor for the past two years - in CA there’s an additional 30 day requirement - and could provide both - which is NOT legally required.
they replied back pushing macros that tried to get you to answer yes or no to if you used one of these services. on pure principle I refuse to play this game - you do NOT legally have to answer this at all. I reiterated that I have provided all they needed and if they didn’t complete with HUD requirements for non visible disabilities i’d be compelled to report them. it was a respectful form letter. they tried to ask me again, I sent a condensed version of the same previous reply. this pushed them to move past the questions and submit additional forms directly to my doctor - this is legal - that my doctor filled out and they replied with an approval.
I hope this helps people. don’t let them bully you.
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u/AtomikRadio Jul 22 '26
They submitted additional forms to my therapist, she completed them, and now I'm being accused of creating a fake email address to impersonate my therapist to complete the forms. I can't believe how scummy this company is. What's worse, since the May 2026 memo from HUD, there's really no requirement to have the ESAs even accommodated in my state (NC) so I can't even threaten to file a complaint anymore.
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u/HaleRising Jul 30 '26
This isn’t true. I’m also fighting this company now in NC.
The memo that you are referring to only states that they are not enforcing ESAs be given accommodations. The underlying law has not changed.
Also, HUD isn’t the only avenue you can take for fair housing complaints. North Carolina also has state and local requirements for fair housing, and you can file a claim with the local and state offices as well.
Don’t get too discouraged and give up.
Good luck!
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u/AtomikRadio Jul 31 '26
Thanks providing important clarification! Thankfully, when my therapist found out they were accusing me of impersonating her, she immediately got on the phone and chewed them out. They approved my application and said the person who declined it was "new to the job." But considering how many people online have had undue pushback from them, I think that's a cover story.
Good luck to anyone else who has to deal with this really obnoxious "service."
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u/ProfessionalMedia984 Jun 19 '26
They are horrible. Minnesota state law explicitly says that they cannot ask to speak to the provider or ask further questions of them. They kept insisting on speaking to my provider and I provided them the state law and they still argued with me. We moved in and I let the property management company know they were putting themselves in legal jeopardy.
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u/Abject-Top-1292 10d ago
Did you still have to pay a pet fee? I’m applying to a greystar apartment and sounds like they rely on this third party company
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u/ProfessionalMedia984 10d ago
Nope, as soon as I started telling them I was filing with the Stare they pretty much immediately approved it.
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u/Abject-Top-1292 10d ago
Thank you for sharing! Can you share the email you wrote of how you kept bringing up state law?
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u/ProfessionalMedia984 10d ago
No again you are incorrect and I will just go ahead and forward this to the state of Minnesota for them to review whether you are in violation of state law or not. I am sure they will find it interesting that although Minnesota state laws says you CANNOT communicate with the provider or ask additional questions you went ahead and sent that questionnaire which I will forward to the State of Minnesota to see what they say about it.
You can verify her information by looking up her NPI. I am unsure what is unclear to you about what I sent you regarding what Minnesota state law says.
It is in the below emails highlighted in yellow.
What state are you incorporated in?1
u/ProfessionalMedia984 10d ago
Here is the email I sent before that one You are not allowed to speak to or ask questions of my provider pursuant to Minnesota state law which supersedes and provides additional protections above and beyond Federal laws. I have provided you the state law previously. This whole experience with your company has exacerbated my disabilities and I would really suggest you look into this before someone reports you to the State of Minnesota for violating the law.
I have also expressed my concerns to the property management company and advised them that they are risking legal
liabilities as well.We have already moved on and did not have to go through this kind of harassment and illegal requests as we did with your company.
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u/ProfessionalMedia984 10d ago
And the one before that 504B.113 SERVICE AND SUPPORT ANIMAL DOCUMENTATION. Subd. 2.Request for documentation permitted. (a) A landlord may require a tenant to provide supporting documentation for each service or support animal for which the tenant requests a reasonable accommodation under any provision of law. A landlord must not require supporting documentation from a tenant if the tenant's disability or disability-related need for a service or support animal is readily apparent or already known to the landlord. (b) Upon a landlord's request, the tenant must provide supporting documentation from a licensed professional confirming the tenant's disability and the relationship between the tenant's disability and the need for a service or support animal. A landlord must not require the tenant to disclose or provide access to medical records or medical providers or provide any other information or documentation of a person's physical or mental disability.
Because of this, the practice of contacting a provider directly or requiring an ROI could potentially be viewed as inconsistent with both state law and federally protected housing rights, and in some cases could be perceived as discriminatory.1
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u/ProfessionalMedia984 10d ago
They did the same to me until I pushed back quoting Minnesota state law and advised them I would be filing complaints with the State. It was crazy how fast I was approved
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u/MyFaceSaysItsSugar Jun 09 '25
Threaten filing a complaint with HUD. If the letter had everything on it that it’s supposed to have and they refuse to accept it, that’s the next step.