美国.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has requested that the Federal Trade Commission investigate certain websites that sell assistance animal documentation for potential deceptive and unfair business practices. 这一行动不仅帮助消费者避免诈骗, but the letter should be of interest to landlords and property managers as it clarifies a common question about assistance animal certificates.

有什么问题??

根据联邦公平住房法, a landlord must grant a reasonable accommodation for an individual with a disability when it may be necessary for the individual to have an equal opportunity to enjoy and use the dwelling. A common request for a reasonable accommodation is a request to keep an animal as an assistance animal, 根据房东的宠物限制,哪些是禁止的. 一旦提出这样的要求,房东可以要求提供更多的信息.

如果一个人的残疾不明显或不为人所知, 房东可能会要求个人提供“可靠的文件”. HUD guidance says that reliable documentation could include things like a verification from a medical professional or a disability determination from a 政府ernment agency. The documentation is said to be sufficient if it establishes that the person has a disability and that the animal will provide some type of disability-related assistance.

这与援助动物证书有什么关系?

A frequent question on the 德州2021十大正规彩票app经纪人® 法律 Hotline is whether assistance animal certificates—certificates or 注册 purchased online by an individual in an effort to demonstrate an animal is an assistance animal under the Fair Housing Act—count as reliable documentation. HUD has long been silent on whether assistance animal certificates are considered reliable documentation.

在给联邦贸易委员会的信中, 住房和城市发展部明确表示,虽然提供远程服务的医疗保健专业人员, 包括在互联网上, may provide a reliable verification of an individual’s disability-related need for an assistance animal, the provider must have personal knowledge of the individual’s disability-related need for the animal. Personal knowledge is knowledge of the type that healthcare providers ordinarily use for diagnosis and treatment.

在HUD看来, these websites offer documentation that is not reliable because the website operators and healthcare professionals who consult with them lack the necessary personal knowledge about the individual. 这些网站通常通过在线问卷或问卷从个人那里获得信息, 最多, 简短的采访.

底线是什么?

HUD说认证, 注册, 通过这些网站购买的其他文件是没有必要的, 可能不包含可靠的信息, and are insufficient to establish an individual’s disability-related need for an assistance animal.

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