Form Letter: Writing to Your Landlord About a Breed Restriction
Sample letter that people with disabilities can use to tell their landlord that the law doesn't allow limits on breeds of assistance animals in housing.
About this form letter
You may use this letter to tell your landlord that disability law doesn’t allow rules limiting the breed of service animals or emotional support animals. You can do this by explaining what the law says about breed restrictions for assistance animals.
How to use this form letter
You can type your information into this form letter using your computer and print it out. If you don’t have a computer or can’t use one, you can print the form letter and fill it out by hand.
You may want to ask your landlord for a response within 1-2 weeks. This will give them time to reply to your letter.
Once you have filled out the letter, you can mail it, email it, or drop it off with your landlord. Keep a copy of the letter for yourself. You can write down when you send your letter and when you are expecting a reply.
This form letter shows what can be in a letter to your landlord or property manager. It is not legal advice. For legal advice specific to your situation, please talk with an attorney.
[Date]
Re: Assistance Animal Breed Restriction for [Your Name]
Address: [Your address]
Dear [Landlord's or Property Manager's Name],
I’m writing to tell you that landlords in Wisconsin are not allowed to deny or restrict a reasonable accommodation request for an assistance animal (service or emotional support animal) based on the breed.
I sent you my reasonable accommodation request on [date]. My dog is a [breed]. You said no to my request on [date], because [write the reason your landlord or property manager said no to your assistance animal. If the denial wasn't about the breed, explain how you know your dog's breed is the problem).
I am including a memo from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) explaining housing providers’ duties under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). Please see Question 6, Example 3, which is specifically about assistance animals.
Please consider this information about disability law and allow me to use my assistance animal as a reasonable accommodation for my disability. Please reply to this letter within 10 business days. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. You can reach me at [phone number and email address]. Thank you for your time and help with this.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
[Your Name]
