Step 1
Tell us about your situation
Complete a short online questionnaire about yourself, your animal, and why you're seeking Emotional Support Animal documentation.
Emotional Support Animal Documentation
Get an ESA Letter Online Through a Licensed Clinician
An ESA letter starts with a real clinical evaluation.
An Emotional Support Animal letter isn't an online registration, certificate, ID card, or database entry. It's documentation from a healthcare professional supporting an individual's disability-related need for an assistance animal when clinically appropriate.
Stayby connects you with a licensed clinician who reviews your individual circumstances and determines whether Emotional Support Animal documentation is appropriate for you.
There are no automatic approvals and no meaningless ESA registrations.
What is an ESA letter?
An ESA letter is documentation from a qualified healthcare professional related to an individual's need for an Emotional Support Animal.
For housing accommodation requests, documentation may be relevant when a disability and the disability-related need for the animal are not otherwise apparent. HUD recognizes that housing providers may request reliable disability-related information in appropriate circumstances.
An ESA letter is not the same thing as registering an animal.
There is no federal ESA registry that you need to join to receive housing protections. HUD has specifically warned consumers that purchased registrations and certifications are not substitutes for reliable documentation establishing a disability-related need for an assistance animal.
With Stayby, your $129 evaluation includes:
- Online eligibility questionnaire
- Review by a licensed clinician available in your state
- Clinician consultation when required
- Signed digital documentation if clinically appropriate
- Secure digital delivery
- Support for questions related to your documentation
Documentation is not guaranteed. Your clinician makes an independent clinical determination based on your individual circumstances.
How to get an ESA letter online
Step 2
Complete your clinical evaluation
A licensed healthcare professional available in your state reviews your information and completes the evaluation required for your situation.
Step 3
Receive documentation if appropriate
If your clinician determines that Emotional Support Animal documentation is clinically appropriate, your signed documentation is delivered digitally.
Do I need to register my Emotional Support Animal?
No federal registration or certification system is required for an animal to qualify as an assistance animal under the Fair Housing Act.
That's why Stayby doesn't sell registry numbers, badges, certificates, or identification cards as substitutes for clinical documentation.
HUD has stated that assistance animals do not have to be individually trained or certified for purposes of reasonable accommodation requests under the Fair Housing Act.
What matters is whether the requirements for a reasonable accommodation are met in your particular circumstances.
Can an ESA letter help with housing?
Potentially.
The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination based on disability, and reasonable accommodations can include allowing an assistance animal when applicable requirements are satisfied.
Housing providers may request information supporting the disability-related need for an assistance animal when that information is not otherwise apparent. The precise requirements can depend on the housing situation and applicable federal, state, and local law.
An ESA letter does not automatically guarantee approval of every housing request.
Learn more about ESA housing accommodations →
ESA letters by state
Looking for information specific to Pennsylvania? Read our guide to ESA letters in Pennsylvania .
How much does an ESA evaluation cost?
Stayby's ESA telehealth evaluation is $129 one time.
There are no required registration fees, memberships, ESA ID cards, or recurring subscriptions.
If your clinician determines that documentation is clinically appropriate, digital documentation is included in the price.
ESA letter FAQs
A clinical evaluation can be conducted through telehealth when permitted and appropriate. Stayby connects you with a licensed clinician available to provide the relevant service in your state.
No. Online certificates, registrations, ID cards, and badges aren't substitutes for appropriate healthcare documentation. HUD has specifically cautioned against internet registrations being presented as proof of a disability-related need.
No. Stayby does not guarantee documentation. The evaluating clinician independently determines whether documentation is clinically appropriate.
An assistance animal used as a reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Act does not necessarily need specialized training. That differs from the ADA definition of a service animal.
Assistance animals are treated differently from ordinary pets under applicable housing rules. HUD guidance for Housing Choice Voucher tenants, for example, states that qualifying service animals and ESAs aren't subject to pet fees or deposits. Individual housing circumstances can vary.
Ready to see if Stayby is right for you?
Get started online and connect with a licensed clinician who can evaluate your individual circumstances.
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